Eternally
by Midori-Emmi
Summary: It was unfair that Niou had to leave them so soon.However, Yagyuu had a feeling the other never really left. 11 years later, the Gentleman wonders about this mysterious new trainee that seems too familiar to be true. Is Hanako who she says she is? Things may not have changed as much as the ex-regulars thought...or have they? FutureAU Fem!Niou
1. Ticking seconds

**Ok, I'm really sorry for having just disppeared without warning like that. Its just that...my life has taken a rather sad turn lately, and I kinda lost my muses...**

**My grandfather had been battling with stomach cancer for about 4 months, and just 2 weeks ago...he...was finally at peace you could say.**

**And I apologise once more for neglecting my other stories, since I just wasn't in the mood to do those happy and fluffy things, and I decided to work on something slightly more angsty. I personally think I have improved in writing it since the incident. **

**Disclaimer: And Rikkai Dai has the most sane team in the entire series. Who's with me? **

**Warning(s): Angst, like the genre stated. Yaoi, and hospitals. OOCness if you see it that way. There are also some slight changes here and there…but the explanation will come in due time.**

**So please, if you found this crappy, I understand. I didn't write it with the best of moods.**

**Story time then.**

* * *

The Trickster of the courts.

Niou Masaharu.

Yes.

His perceptive playstyle was his forte and his life, his tricks and pranks defined his identity, who he was. That and his disguises as well as the rule of Rikkai's tennis regulars- Losing is not allowed. These made him, him. The prankster.

Too ironic, too flashy, Yagyuu thought. But inside, right now, he was just so dead worried.

He wasn't the only one though, no he was not. To say that would be the understatement of the century. The entire Rikkai regular team was present too. Everything had happened too fast, no one had expected that this would or could happen. The whitewashed and imposing walls of the hospital corridor did nothing to comfort the lot of them. In fact, it made their wait all the more tense and scary, if anything.

Yukimura, their bluenette captain, had on his gentle expression as always. He looked almost normal and serene. Keyword being 'almost'. Worry decorated his effeminate features annoyingly.

Sanada, their ever strict vice-captain, was just his strict and stoic self. No one had really seen him put on any other expression other than that trademark (and yet again stoic) pokerface. But now, even an idiot would be able to see that shock (and worry) was evident on his face. Here he was now, sitting beside Yukimura, a hand on the captain's shoulder, providing what little comfort he could.

Yanagi, their hardcore data master, still had his eyes closed and his expression firmly set in place. Still, he was…fidgety? Well, if that constant murmuring and muttering of data was anything to go by, then yes, he was worried. It wasn't everyday you saw such an obvious frown on him too.

Jackal was probably the most decent looking one out of all of them right now, though no one knew what he was thinking inside. His outward aura spelt calmness, though it did little to achieve the same effect on the nerves of his doubles partner, who was leaning on the wall just right beside him. Marui wasn't responding to anything around him, and Jackal just continued his pensive look.

Marui, their volley specialist, was, as said earlier, at the wall beside the Brazillian, and staring into space. His dull violet orbs blank and devoid of any emotion. Even his bright red vermillion hair had seemingly dulled a little.

Akaya, Rikkai's dear sophomore ace…would not stop pacing about the corridor. And if one did not know any better, he would have thought the boy had paced a hole of a size that would bring the Grand Canyon to tears by now.

Then there was also…Yagyuu Hiroshi. The Gentleman of the Rikkai tennis team- Niou's doubles partner, as well as his best friend.

The slight humming sound stopped, and the light for the examination theatre turned off. The effect was immediate, as all the other 7 regulars of the team scrambled to their feet, all too ready to corner whoever was in charge in that theatre to find out what was wrong. And so they did.

The doctor adjusted his coat. His years of experience in the profession having rendered him immune to these sort of situations. That grim expression wasn''t helping matters at all. He started to speak.

"About your friend, he…"

**xXEternallyXx**

Akaya's and Yagyuu's hands were shaking, trembling violently. Their hands, which had been holding some of Niou's belongings, could take it no longer and the objects fell to the floor.

"Thump!" "Fwmp!"

"What did…you say? I didn't hear anything wrong did I? " For the Gentleman to be asking such a question, it was unusual. Far too unusual.

"I'm sorry sonny, but apparently he had been bearing with it for a long while. The chances of him actually living through this…"

No, no one wanted to hear these words, no one wanted to believe this reality, no one had the heart to. There was so much tension in the air. Niou's trademark hairband, and his power weights… they lay forgotten, on the cold, hard tiles…

**xXEternallyXx**

Within mere milliseconds, the regulars were gathered round the single bed in the ward, hearts clamped in pain as the limp form of their once active and annoying prankster of the team lay there. In fact, the silver-haired boy himself was barely keeping awake, the rise and fall of his muscular chest looking so forced.

Those sea-green, turquoise tinted eyes looked…empty, as he turned to regard the visitors.

"Hi guys, thanks for being here."

Niou? Their Niou? Saying something like this? Denial overwhelmed them in full blast, but the players knew enough discipline not to let it show. The silence that followed did not last long, however.

"Baka Niou-senpai! You scared the hell out of us!"

"Damn it Niou… here I was, waiting for you to steal that gum from my locker…"

"Ah…its good to see that you are fine, Niou…"

"Sorry, Akaya is being too noisy…"

"99.99 percent chance that Genichirou is worried sick about you…"

"TARUNDORU! Niou needs peace and quiet!"

Silence, absolute silence in a snap. Such was the authority of Sanada-fukubuchou. Then there was some more silence before Yagyuu spoke.

"Niou-kun, are you ok? Do you remember anything?"

"…mpf. Nothing. Head hurts to think about it."

Right, everything had happened too quickly. It was no wonder the said boy could not remember anything since he was the victim this time. The bespectacled teen decided not to pursue it further.

Visiting time was spent in jokes, laughter, questions, and Sanada looking like he was barely holding in his anger considering Akaya and Marui were playing around with his beloved black hat- uh, that is another story altogether, so lets move on. Soon, it was late and everyone left, except for Yukimura and Yagyuu.

Yagyuu had stayed to pass some study notes and such to Niou, then shook his watch as he frowned at the little black digits.

"I'm sorry Niou-kun, Yukimura-buchou, but I will have to be going. My family is expecting me."

Yukimura smiled, nodding his approval since he would be staying longer and Niou by some miraculous means, managed to summon enough strength to wave the Gentleman off.

However, the moment the door shut, the atmosphere that had been sustained for the entire time so far dropped abruptly. Yukimura reached out to hold Niou's left hand, silent and worried tears slowly dripping, making paths of wetness along his cheeks. His head was tilted low, those blue locks barring his expression from the other's line of vision.

Niou's gaze softened, and he smiled weakly.

"Sei-niichan…"

Then his head suddenly shot up, before his eyes turned towards the door. He gulped a little.

"Within 4…3…2…1..." Niou murmured…

It was pretty amazing how the door still stubbornly gripped onto its hinges in spite of the force that Niou Sachiko utilised to burst it open. Said woman was panting heavily, the other male members of the Niou family a little weary as well, silently following behind her.

There was momentous shock and surprise in Yukimura's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

"Niou-obaasan, I-"

He cut off mid-sentence as Sachiko literally flung herself onto her eldest son, sobbing. Niou could only stay there and pat her back assuring her he was still good, however much he could with his weakened strength.

Things stayed that way for a few minutes, before the woman finally detached herself, seemingly having convinced herself that Niou was fine. She wiped off remaining tears, then turned suddenly to glare at Yukimura- a glare so piercing and with so much fury that Satan would have cowered and whimpered like a puppy dog under it. Needless to say, the bluenette flinched very visibly, also surprised at being looked at so suddenly.

"You…"

Just then, Niou's father, Niou Masahi, had thought that he had better jump in before his wife did anything regrettable. As far as he knew, his better half tended to take things a little too far when she lost her temper- ESPECIALLY issues regarding her brood. To call it over-protectiveness would be an utter understatement.

"Let go of me Masahi! I will teach that boy a lesson, its all his fault! Why didn't you notice earlier? You are his godbrother, goddammit! I trusted you to take care of him!"

Backtracking, it seems that Yukimura's parents had been asked to be Niou's godparents when he was born, and as such the boy was his technically part of his family- as his older godbrother. In addition, Niou was originally supposed to be go to another school in their district, but it was under Yukimura's (and Niou's) persistent begging that Sachiko finally relented and allowed for him to be sent to Rikkai. Of course, the bluenette was forced to swear that he would put Niou's safety above all else (Yukimura still shudders to think about it up till this day).

When she had somewhat calmed down and had stopped struggling against her husband's grip, Masahi let go. Yet, no one could have predicted that she would suddenly step across to Yukimura and deliver a hard, stinging slap across his face.

Some stray tears flowed down the effeminate boy's cheeks messily, from the owner trying to stop them flowing. He truly felt immense regret at his ignorance, and just stayed silent, not knowing what his tears were for anymore. Niou Masahara (younger brother) snuggled against his older brother.

"Haru-nii…I'm scared…"

A hand moved to stroke his short, neat silver hair.

"It will be fine Hara…it will be ok…" The older boy buried his face in the younger one's hair.

**xXEternallyXx**

"So that's it. I knew something was up."

"Who would have thought…"

"Seiichi, you didn't deserve any of that…"

Slight murmur flooded the corridors, ceasing almost immediately as the door to Niou's ward opened and his family stepped through, slowly padding their way over to the lift. As the doors of the lift shut, all was completely silent again. There was a few seconds pause before a sigh of relief sounded.

"*Psst!* Senpai-tachi, are they gone?"

"Yes, I'm positive. Coast is clear."

Having said that, the boys creeped slowly out from their hiding places. Akaya from behind the water cooler, Jackal from behind the water hose (how the heck?), and Marui from beside a dustbin. Then lastly, Sanada, Yanagi and Yagyuu from behind one of the longer couches in the lounge.

Not much explanation was required. They had stayed, they hadn't left- because they were worried. Well, Sanada may have been dragged along by Marui and Jackal had to take care of Akaya…but all in all, they pretty much had the unanimous agreement that it was necessary to stay and eavesdrop. It was with great caution that they stepped VERY slowly towards the door…

"In 3…2…1…"

At the exact second, the ward door clicked open to reveal the rest of the Rikkai regulars. Yukimura looked like he was about to have a heart attack, what with him clutching his shirt where his heart supposedly was, and Niou smirking knowingly. Man, this felt awkward.

"…Niou…Masaharu…"

Yukimura lay his head on Niou's left shoulder, tired.

"Stop that countdown thing. Its really creepy…"

Light laughter echoed throughout the room, coming mostly from the team's resident tensai and sophomore ace. Niou couldn't help but show a genuine, graceful smile at his teammate's antics. Sanada took Yukimura into his arms and comforted him, with the latter not noticing his slight awkwardness.

"So, Mura-buchou…you never told us you and Niou-senpai were brothers…"

"Its GODbrothers Akaya…"

"It's the same!"

"No its not!"

"Yes it is!"

Then it stopped. Sanada's threatening 'I-promise-you-a-lifetime's-worth-of-tarundoru-slaps-if-you-do-not-shut-your-ass-up-right-now' aura with the unspoken promise of hell-like punishment if it be invoked. The aura was rolling off him in waves comparable with tsunamis. It was fortunate that the boy and his red-headed senior had taken the hint and zipped.

"Yukimura-buchou."The bluette captain looked up, smiling at the speaker.

Yes, Yagyuu?"

"I deeply apologise…but we kind of…heard the commotion just now…are you feeling fine?"

The Gentleman shifted his weight uneasily, as did all the others in the room. It was a private family issue for them, and it didn't feel right to know it, however accidental it might have been.

"Its fine. All of you would have found out sooner or later anyway, isn't that right, Masaharu?"

"Hn. We only kept quite so that you guys wouldn't accuse Sei-nii of favouritism when he assigned us anything. Well, its not as if he did give me anything special…"

"…"

"Sei-nii? Seriously?"

"…shut up Marui…"

The group huddled together to talk a little more, then a nurse came in to inform them that visiting hours were over, and that they had to go. Farewells were said, and the lights were turned off.

In the moonlight, tears glistened down a certain teen's face…

**xXEternallyXx**

Life had to go on, did it not? Time stops for no man, and no one.

Tennis practice resumed as usual after that episode, and training went smoothly. Now and then some concerned members asked how Niou was doing and the captain just replied that he was doing well and on the road to recovery. Sanada and Yanagi just stayed themselves, and all was well.

Good things never lasted long, and that was assuming if it was even considered a good thing in the first place. Such was a tragic example.

The doctor had proposed several solutions and potential cures for their ailing teammate, but none looked promising enough. No matter which was chosen, it was a 'do or die' chance. Then came the inevitable- the family had to talk to Niou about his decision.

"Me? Choose?"

"Yes, Masaharu dear, its your body and its your choice. We only want the best for you, and we feel you have the right to select the treatment you want."

The Trickster's eyes trailed down the list that his doctor had good-heartedly typed out for him, listing down all options. Those perceptive sea-green eyes were meticulous, taking note of how many grains there were per centimetre square of the paper (well, what he could see anyway…). They were focused on anywhere but those words. It was painful to even stare at them.

"I've decided."

All present in the room snapped up at the sound of his voice. It was by now soft and weak, no longer possessing any power or sense of mischief.

Everyone leaned closer to listen.

**xXEternallyXx**

…"You there! You're slacking off! 50 extra laps!"

…"Those shots are not powerful enough! Do a 100 extra swings to make up for it!"

…"Your stances are off! Place yourselves into pairs and practice your rallies, NOW!"

It was just another regular day at Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, another regular tennis practice session within the vast sports grounds on campus. Yup, the 3 demons of Rikkai still doing their thing. Yanagi coming up with a more vigorous training menu for the upcoming tournament, Sanada working the members to the gr- wait a minute, was that Yukimura, of all people, issuing those drills?

"Regulars! Strap on an extra kilogram of weights and run 10 laps!"

…Well, darn right it was. Even Sanada had been standing about 2 metres further away from the captain than he usually did. All regulars simply nodded and started adding on their weights as they joined Yukimura and Sanada, who were already running by now. The normally gentle captain's mood was beyond terrible today, and no one knew the reason why. Even Renji shook his head when anyone gave a questioning look.

Yukimura was fighting an inner battle, and he was losing. The law of Rikkai: Losing is not allowed. He was captain, and he had no excuse. But this particular inner battle was one he could not help but succumb to, given the circumstances now. It was taking all of his willpower to just keep himself focused on anything at hand. He was sorry. He really was, for taking it out on all the poor, innocent and unknowing members of the tennis club, but there was no other way to pause his train of thought for even a moment.

"_I don't want any of these. I don't want any treatment…"_

Oh no, not those memories again…not those words…

"_There is no help already…I would go either way…"_

Help, no, he didn't hear any of these…these weren't true! Niou never said anything like this…

"_I have no regrets…its for the best too…"_

The last thing Yukimura remembered, was Renji calling his name, and the worried looks on everyone's faces as the world blacked out before him.

**xXEternallyXx**

"…iichi…Seiichi…Seiichi!"

Yukimura gave a start as he snapped his eyes opened after gaining a little consciousness. Taking in his surroundings, he identified his current location as the nurse's office. Sanada and Yanagi were with him.

"Are you alright, Seiichi? You scared us back there."

"I'm ok Yanagi, probably didn't get enough sleep last night."

"As the captain of the team, you should take better care of yourself."

"Thanks Genichirou, I will. Sorry for worrying all of you."

Silence hung in the air around the group of 3 for a little while. The Data Master decided to break it by coughing a little, then leaning down to whisper something into their vice-captain's ear. Sanada nodded, and both got up to leave.

"Rest, Seiichi. I will take care of practice. The team will be visiting Niou later."

"Oh, that's good. Thanks then."

**xXEternallyXx**

Time passed. Obviously.

From the day Yukimura announced that Niou had started his treatment and might be able to join them in time for the next tournament, to the day Akaya gave Niou a new prank toy that he had found one day at a shop. To the day Marui managed to top Niou's maths score in class (he said he was waiting for Niou to come back and reclaim it once more), to the day Yagyuu presented the Trickster with a new notebook as well as some decorated paper and envelopes. The reason he gave those was unknown though.

It had been the same, really. Since Niou's treatment had begun, no one other than Yukimura was allowed to visit him, since the doctor stated that the treatment made him weak and vulnerable to small infections. There was anticipation for the day the silver-haired teen would finally be able to join them once more and complete their regular team. They were…the absolute champions Rikkai.

But…only a few people knew the truth.

Yukimura was shaken out of his thoughts by a vibration in his pocket. He looked at the Caller ID – it was Niou. To heck with the club rules, to heck with the school rules, every moment was precious now. The bluette answered.

"Hey, Sei-nii."

"Hey, shouldn't you be resting? Its club practice time too you know."

"Well knowing you, you would have picked up anyway. Besides, I was kind of bored."

Jus the sound of that voice, the sound of how weak it was, the sound of that very person. It took all of Yukimura to just hold in those tears. Contrary to popular belief, he was an emotional person- he just had great control. But this was one of those times that his great control just proved useless. He couldn't let Niou hear him cry, no he couldn't.

"Eto…do you think you can get the team to come today? I miss them…b-but I'll understand if you can't! It is the season and al-"

"No. Its perfectly fine. We'll head over first thing school ends, alright?"

"Ok. Thanks a lot. And remember Sei-nii, no matter what, don't te-"

"Don't tell them anything. Keep it secret. I know, now sleep!"

"Kk, bye."

**xXEternallyXx**

"Bye Niou-senpai! Remember to take care of yourself!"

"Yeah bastard, that Math record is still waiting for you!"

"Farewell Niou-kun. Please rest well and do take care."

With that the team was gone and Yukimura left alone with Niou again. This time, the captain had made sure to see all the visitors to the lift and ensure they were all gone, that there wouldn't be certain teens in certain yellow and black uniforms eavesdropping again. He inwardly declared victory when he was done, because the feat itself was deserving of one.

It was a rather close call, in a way. Yanagi did question Niou's 'paler-than-before' complexion, him being the observant Data Master and all. But the boy just waved it off as the side effects of the treatment and said not to worry. There were even more raised eyebrows when Niou even needed some effort to pick up one of the kilogram weights that Sanada had brought as a gift. But all in all, everyone was pretty much assured that all was good.

"Masaharu. I know you had something to tell them. Why didn't you?"

The solemn look on Niou's face showed his surprise. He bent his head down, his silvery locks blocking his face from view.

"..I-I-Its not like…I-I can just s-s-say it, right? No…I just…c-c-couldn't bear...t-to…"

He was crying. He was crying such painful tears. It pained Yukimura so much to see his younger godbrother being reduced to this state. This weak, pathetic state that wasn't even supposed to be just some months ago. There was nothing said boy could do except to hold him close, and comfort him.

There was wailing, every possible sound a human could make while crying. It lasted a while, before Niou finally calmed, and just stayed content in Yukimura's arms.

"Masaharu, you…you love him, don't you?"

Niou went stiff, before relaxing again. He chuckled nervously.

"No…"

"Admit it."

"No…I…"

"Admit it! Niou Masaharu!"

"Damn it, well fine! I do! So what? Its not like he…he…"

Niou trailed off, unable to say anymore.

"That's not true."

The teen looked up to stare into sad sapphire orbs, Gentle and comforting hand caressed his hair, then they stopped.

"You will regret it more if you don't. Do it soon, do it anytime. Just tell me, and I will personally make sure he gets to you to say it. Remember, time is ticking."

A sigh, and a submissive nod. The older boy smiled before gathering his things and leaving.

There was rustling of paper as Niou took out all his writing materials, namely those that had been gifted to him some time before. He picked up the pen…with his right hand and…

…started writing.

**xXEternallyXx**

"Yagyuu-kun, I would like you to come into my office."

Still maintaining his straight pokerface in spite of his surprise, the Gentleman nodded and obediently followed the doctor into his office. The middle-aged man reached into a drawer, and pulled out a lavender and silver envelope, passing it to him. The doctor sighed heavily and wearily.

"Your captain…he mentioned something to me. Then Niou-kun too, more with his actions rather than his words."

He looked at the item in Yagyuu's hands.

"Its against my principles to go against my patients' wishes regarding matters like these, but there is no more time. I made an exception for you. Now hurry and read it son, before you lose any chance of doing anything, and regret it for the rest of your life." Yagyuu did not understand the last sentence, but it was enough to make him know the seriousness of the situation.

He tore the envelope open and started reading the letter. The ticks from the clock suddenly seemed to have gotten louder as they started the fated timer.

* * *

**Just reading over this story makes me wonder if I'm really the one who wrote it. Well what do you know? I am.**

**I just stated my excuse up top and so I won't repeat it.**

**This will be a multi chaptered fic so look forward to updates. I will most probably get the letter's contents up by tonight or so, and the rest will come much slower. **

**Oh and can anyone guess why I named Niou's mother Niou **_**Sachiko**_**? If you can guess, you get a virtual lollipop! Hint: Its got something to do with Yukimura...**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**


	2. A letter and a kiss

**What? No one guessed why I named Niou's mother that name? Nah just kidding XD**

**A virtual lollipop for EcstaticPetenshi for guessing it right! You rock!**

**Niou Sachiko came from Nagai Sachiko-sensei's name. She is Yukimura Seiichi's voice actor in the anime:)**

**Thanks for the concern my dear readers, I'm really very touched by it. I admit, its been hard, and I still cry, but I will move on. I will come back to you readers in full force soon enough:D**

**Disclaimer: Lets see...Marui hates sweets. Valentine Kiss is not a romantic song. I'm done.**

**Warning(s): I already said character death, angst…yeah. OOCness if you see it that way (though I doubt it *is shot*). Yaoi. Add in more if you deem fit.**

**I will talk more after this.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

There were some cancellations at the start of the letter, as if the writer could not decide on how to start, but the words that followed after were neat and organised.

_Hey Yagyuu, nice day ain't it?_

First thing he noticed, was that Niou used neat italics- his right-handed font, to write the letter. There were also some…tear marks? He swallowed uncomfortably as he recalled his friend mentioning that he almost never used his right font, and if he did only when he was serious. Yagyuu continued reading.

_Right, so why am I writing this letter to you? Well, I don't know myself. Maybe its cuz I feel too weak to speak much right now, and I have a lot to say to you. Writing makes it easier._

'Oh, that's true'

_So how is the tennis team? There is only so much I can hear from Sei-nii, and I kept wondering if you were ok. I didn't ask you while the others were also visiting cuz it will only get awkward and all. I've been away for quite a long while. In fact, I kind of miss Sanada-fukubuchou's Tarundoru slapping already. It just isn't the same lying here in bed, staring away at the ceiling. Still, it makes for some slack time from hell practice._

Yagyuu smiled a bit, Niou was still joking around.

_I still remember the first time I met you, or got to know your name for that matter. We were paired together for a maths project. I remember that look on your face when I managed to solve a sum you couldn't. Man, that was totally priceless! I guess I found the serious side of you fun, and so just like that, we became friends- and now doubles partners to this day._

'I remember too. Yes, its ironic isn't it? Niou-kun? That the two of us with such contrasting personalities would become such great friends…'

_Also, sorry for keeping quiet about the fact that Sei-nii and I are brothers, godbrothers to be exact. The opportunity just never came up I suppose, so I'm sorry. I mean you are supposed to be my closest friend and all, but I didn't tell you. Anyway, the commotion with my mother that night? Just pretend it never happened. My mother is just…overprotective of me and my brother- fiercely overprotective if I may. Maybe she was just shocked, traumatised or something. She almost never resorts to violence though, so even I was surprised. But you can't blame her. Its not exactly everyday your son suddenly faints at practice and has to be rushed to the hospital, lol._

'Its alright, Niou-kun. It is true that some of our teammates might have thought it was favouritism if anything about that relationship was revealed. I understand completely. Your mother is right to be so worried about you…'

_Then also, help me tell Akaya that I'm really sorry for pulling all those pranks on him throughout the years- assuming he felt really angry or hurt by any of them. I'm actually surprised he still wants to call me his senior even after all I've done. That kid really is a good boy. He will make a good future captain just like Sei-nii had already planned for. I'm sure, that he will not let any of us down. You believe in him too ne? Yagyuu?_

'You shouldn't worry Niou-kun, Akaya is a good boy like you said. You just have to convince him that you really are sorry with a gift. I'm sure he will forgive you.'

_Hey Yagyuu, remember the first time we actually switched identities? The reactions of the team was awesome. Never knew Akaya made that type of spelling mistake. I mean, 'apple' and 'ample'? You gotta be kidding me! Must have been tough on you, having to teach a brat like that. It took all of my willpower to maintain your 'Gentleman' façade. Marui also looked so guilty when he realised the one he water-bombed that day was none other than the innocent and unsuspecting you and not me XDXD Thanks for taking that blow for me, that meant a lot, even if it was a mere water bomb._

'No problem Niou kun, I was prepared for it anyway. I knew you weren't exactly the 'goody-two-shoes' in school.'

_Lets see…oh right! I also remember the day the both of us dragged all our teammates (Yes, even Sanada!) to the karaoke lounge. It was 14 February. Valentines Day. That day, I was totally convinced that Sanada-fukubuchou had completely lost his mind. For a guy who had been reluctant to come in the first place, he was REALLY eager to sing something wasn't he? Seriously! Who knew his sense of music totally rocked? That song's name was…Valentine Kiss? Yep, that's the name. He was totally putting his heart into it. But then..as if what he felt towards Sei-nii wasn't obvious enough to any onlooker…except for a certain someone of course…_

'Oh yeah, I remember too…Sanada-fukubuchou had a pretty good voice too. Yukimura-buchou…lets pray that he will realise soon, ok?'

_Although, I wish you could have heard me sing…it was kind of…my first time you know. It was the same song that Sanada sang. I thought you would have wanted to hear it…God, this is getting awkward…Ok. Maybe I SHOULD have poured that bucket of mud into Yanagi's locker, he deserved it, dammit! He of all people should have known that he was not to carry any weird juices he got from his childhood friend- that glasses guy from Seigaku, in his bag! Those belong in the safe boundaries of his locker!_

'Now that I think about it…I did kind of black out for the remainder for that night…'

_Now…jokes over. From the very first moment our eyes met and we exchanged names, to the very moment I fainted on the courts. Having actually met you and to have made friends with you, it was a great fortune in itself. I was always the loner in elementary school, and everyone avoided me…cuz of my hair I guess. Nothing could describe my happiness when you actually treated me like the normal kid and friend I so wished to be. Thanks a lot, thanks for everything. Thanks for playing tennis with me._

'You are welcome, Niou-kun.'

_That day I fainted was really scary for me. Yes, just so shocking for me too. I admit, I had been feeling a little off for a while, but I never thought it would be this serious. You've gotta put yourself in my shoes too, since you or any of the other guys would probably do the same thing. Who am I kidding? Of course its my fault for having ignored the need to visit a doctor. I mean, it was just 20 laps, nothing big. Then pain in my abdomen and I just…yeah…_

_Wow, this letter is getting pretty long-winded. Uh, then let me get straight to the point then. What they diagnosed me with…its…a very long scientific term. I painstakingly (nah, not really) remembered it for you, so listen up! I'm only going to say it once. Its 'Metastatic Gastric Carcinoma'. In short, stomach cancer. Pretty shocking huh?_

'Niou-kun…you are telling me about this…why?'

_And that treatment Yukimura-buchou kept talking about? It never existed. Just thought I would make things clear. Everything was just too risky…and…I…just decided to stop with everything. Stop. Pronto. I just saw no point in staying for much longer anyway, it would have been too painful, both physically and mentally._

'Wait, Niou-kun? Niou Masaharu? What are you saying?'

_You're probably angry, frustrated. I understand. I betrayed every single iota of trust that you had in me as your fellow doubles partner. Its been hard on you, having to put up with a jerk like me. You didn't deserve any of it._

'This…this isn't the Niou-kun I know…it just isn't! He would never…' Yagyuu felt so confused, turmoil raging inside of him.

_And…by the time you read this…I will probably be gone. Yes, gone. I bet you will be asking: "Why didn't you say this at the start of the letter?" I thought about it and Yagy-Hiroshi? Can I call you Hiroshi? Its been so long that we knew each other, and its just so ironic that we still go by surname basis. Then again Hiroshi, you are the Gentleman and I am the Trickster. Then, in the following months up till the day I passed this to and instructed the doctor to hand this pathetic excuse of a farewell letter to you, I kind of…realised something. It was unsettling, and Sei-nii also saw it. He told me I should do what I needed to do, or I just might regret it for the rest of my life._

'Niou-kun…I…I don't know what to say to this…I never knew…you never told me…'

_Hiroshi._

The mention of his given name in a line all by itself on the letter shocked Yagyuu out of his reverie, and he forced himself to keep on reading. There was a much deeper meaning that he was not seeing.

_There has been something I had wanted to tell you for a long time now, but whenever I summoned up the courage to do it, the sight of you just saps it all away. And I just stay silent. I was just awaiting the day that, you know, I could finally say it directly to you with confidence. But, time has run out for me, and what I want to say…to confess…I'm gonna say it…now…_

Yagyuu's hands were trembling- shaking hard by now, and he was sweating cold sweat considerably. This letter was obviously supposed to be given to him after Niou's passi- No. He couldn't think of it that way! Back to the matter on hand, why did the doctor and Yukimura decide that he should read this before the intended time? Why…why?

_Hiroshi, I-I-I love you. I had ever since the day we went to sing at that karaoke lounge. No…I probably already fell for you long before that, and Sei-nii knew. So yes, that's my confession to you. Part of me was hoping you would accept, and maybe give me a kiss, if you ever loved me back. But then, another part of me was also screaming for you to reject, for you to hate me. Then perhaps our parting needn't be so painful for you, and you can move on with life without me._

Yagyuu didn't know when his legs gave way just then, but he was kneeling on the office floor, silent tears flowing, some dripping onto the letter, joining the tear marks of the writer on the paper. It was so painful, so painful…

_I'm a selfish person, really. I have never thought much about your feelings whenever I did things. So now, its goodbye. Goodbye Hiroshi, and however life in Rikkai goes on without me, please continue to support the team, and clinch that Nationals title once again. I know that in both your heart and mine, we will always be the ultimate Doubles 1 pair of our year. Remember the rules Hiroshi, especially the one we had pledged to go by the moment we decided to follow Sei-nii in his captaincy._

_Losing is not allowed._

_Win, and don't let the team down. Don't let…me down. We fought so hard for this, and its just so unfortunate that I would not be able to join you guys in fighting for the last lap- the Nationals. I won't forgive you if you dare to lose any of your matches, partner. Keep that in mind._

_Take it as a promise, a promise between the two of us, ok?_

_Ja ne. Adieu~_

With that, Niou concluded his letter. Yagyuu was crying by now, so upset that everything had to turn out this way, yet also grateful that he could receive and read this letter before it was time. He felt feelings of betrayal, but it was nothing compared to his realization that he too…loved his teammate. There was just so much to take in.

What else could he call that slight darkening of his cheeks whenever the Trickster came a little too close? What else could he call that sudden acceleration of his heart whenever he saw Niou smile, or when he saw the silverette's kind side? What…else could he call…that slight feeling of sourness…when he saw one of the Senior High fangirls advancing on his partner?

The doctor just watched on, and patted him assuringly on the shoulder. Nodding to show that he was fine, the boy gave thanks to the doctor, then left for home to ponder about stuff.

The little lavender and silver coloured envelope lay in the safety of his pocket, unaware of the importance of its contents.

**xXEternallyXx**

*Brrr…* *Brrr…* *Brrr…*

An annoyed Gentleman reached out groggily and flipped open his phone, not bothering to look at the Caller ID as he answered it, with promises to kill the caller if it wasn't important.

"Yagyuu, Yukimura speaking. Its Niou, he mig-"

The sole mention of the Trickster's name was enough to send him out of the house in seconds, and just minutes more to reach the hospital room, where everyone who was supposed to be there was there. He was apparently the last to arrive. The sight of the bed occupant froze his heart.

Niou was panting heavily, his eyes closed in weariness from the effort to even breathe, and even with the assistance of a breathing mask. And when he did open those orbs, what were once a bright and shining sea-green were now reduced to a faded, unfocused and glazed look. A heartbreaking sight, but nothing could be done.

"Hiro…shi…"

Their eyes met at that instant, and time seemed to freeze at this point, as Yagyuu hurriedly bolted from where he was at the door to the side of the bed, taking Niou's hand into his own. To see his mouth twitch into a smile melted the Gentleman's heart. But, he wasn't done yet.

His hands seemed to have gained a mind of their own as they started pulling the breathing mask off Niou, much to the horror and shock of the others in the room. There was no hesitation as he leaned down as far as possible, and captured those pale lips into a kiss.

Yes, the kiss that was supposed to be long before that. The kiss that was supposed to be on that day, at that time. The kiss that was supposed to be passionate, and repeated many times after.

Realising that he was taking up too much of his doubles partner's oxygen supply, Yagyuu mentally slapped himself and swiftly replaced the mask firmly on the patient's face. Niou was still a little frozen from what had just happened, and took a few seconds to recover. Niou looked up questioningly. Yagyuu forced a small smile.

He waved that two-toned envelope that he took from his pocket.

Niou scowled.

"I…will…kill…that…doctor…"

Said doctor, who was standing at a corner filling in some things on his clipboard, coughed uncomfortably and slowly made himself scarce.

There was awkward silence as Yagyuu's and Niou's gaze met again, now with much more intensity than before. It was as if the two were in a world of their own. The tennis team just watched on, waiting for what they knew was going to happen. Niou's family just sat in silence, knowing not to interfere, watching the exchange take place.

Niou suddenly reached out and yanked Yagyuu by the neck to his level, at such a close proximity that their foreheads were touching. The closeness of which went uninterrupted by the others in the room.

"Hiroshi...so…it was…out of obligation after all…huh?..."

Those eyes looked so genuinely sad, and Yagyuu felt a huge stab in his heart. No, it wasn't out of obligation that he did it, it was out of real love. One that had made itself known after reading that letter…

"No, its my answer. My true and sincere answer."

Those eyes brightened in hope considerably, looking at him with so much apprehension and adoration, it was scary. Then Niou showed an even wider smile than before.

"…You have…no idea…how long…I've waited…for…this…"

"I know now, Masaharu. Some part of me was hoping for you to say what you did in your letter too."

"Hiroshi…will…you…give me…a…ki-"

No need to finish that sentence. The breathing mask was yanked off once again and the purple-haired teen's lips crashed down hard on the other's. Memories, so many memories, of each other flowed through like never before. The dam that had been holding them all back had finally crumbled, and now there was no stopping them. Tiny videos and snapshots from their most memorable moments together, all the way up till the last moments.

_The memory of Niou placing that whoopee cushion on the elementary school teacher's chair, the one whom everyone hated. Yagyuu had laughed along with the class. Even though at that time he had not known the other yet…_

The monitor beeped erratically.

_The memory of Yagyuu helping Niou to the nurse's office when he had tripped and sprained his ankle due to those first few gymnastics lessons…_

Even faster, if that was possible.

_The memory of that time they lost their first doubles match, and how Niou even risked a hundred laps from Sanada just to sneak out during practice, dragging Yagyuu along with him. The antics Niou even bothered to come up with to cheer themselves up with…_

The beeps were starting to slow…

_The memory which Yagyuu now remembered more clearly. The memory of Niou singing a heartfelt Valentine Kiss, of which the intended target was now clear. Those eyes had been full of unreqruited love…so he hadn't been fully knocked out after all…_

Slower, and slower, getting further apart…

Those memories, and many more mostly in video-like form, flooded their minds as they shared their deepest kiss for now and forever. The imaginary wall that had put space between their relationship was crushed. It was just mere seconds after that they let go, separating.

They had sealed their newfound feelings, their newfound status, with that last kiss. Niou refused the mask, his arm gripping tightly onto Yagyuu's to prevent him from forcing it back on him. He even managed yet another one of his trademark wink and smirk while he was at it. Milleniums seemingly elapsed.

A wracked sob from Akaya, as Yukimura moved to comfort the junior. Then progressively even more sounds of sobbing or crying, as Niou's time with the group slowly ran out…

The silver-haired teen was determined. He fought on till the last seconds. It was only after it was getting too much to bear that the boy finally shut his eyes in exhaustion, knowing full well he would never open them again, and his grip on Yagyuu's hand loosened…

But the Gentleman did not move to latch on that mask. They were doubles partners, of course he knew what the other half was thinking, and he complied…very reluctantly.

That last, painful and raspy gasp. That last grain, that last particle of sand that tumbled through his hourglass of time. That last iota of his life energy draining away. That last thump of his weakened and tired heart. The last beep that resounded…

…and the line finally went flat, the silent yet loud beep that echoed throughout the deathly quiet room. Echoing, echoing hauntingly.

Maybe it was their imagination, maybe it was their hallucination, but the occupants of the room had heard the same thing. Sachiko closed her eyes.

_I will come back…someday…_

* * *

**Yep, and thats that. I can actually just end it right here and now and just leave it sad and unhappy, but I wanna hear what you readers think. *Winks***

**For those who like angst, this is the end of the intended 'twoshot', where it ends at this point with no more elaboration. Read on only if you are interested in the rest of the fic :)**

**I already have a few written chapters for the continuation of this fic, about Yagyuu's life years down the road after Niou's passing. Don't worry, it only contains a single OC and a twist. A twist that will definitely make you gasp:)**

**But it all depends on you guys. I won't upload the others if no one wants them. So tell me in your reviews ok?**

**I know this might sound random but I can't get enough of Tenimyu! The actors are just so awesome and the songs and choreography are so well performed! I will murder anyone who doesn't think they are awesome! Nah, kidding.**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon:)**


	3. Confused feelings

**Heyhey, its me:) I don''t think I have to say my username again...**

**As promised, a continuation. Enjoy people! XDXD**

**Disclaimer: Yukimura loves Chemistry! :D…oh wait, he doesn't.**

**Warning(s): Carried over, less angst in this one, yay. A couple of OCs, since they really are essential to get the story going. Add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

Time waits for no one, no matter how great they may be. As such, it moves onward, regardless of any event, big or small. Such is the strength and the will of time.

They also said that time heals all wounds. But it is of course, very subjective in that sense.

Years have passed since then. It has been quite a long while.

To be exact, 11 years had passed since Niou's death. The former regulars in the Rikkai tennis team had long left the comfort of Junior High, moving on to Senior High, to a good University, and eventually to the working world. All of them- at a peak of 25 years, were all successful in their pursued careers. Well, Akaya was 24…but it is the same for him.

Yagyuu of course, was no exception. In fact, he was one of the better off ones among the lot. He found his life career path a little too…predictable actually. To have stayed the teacher's pet throughout all his years in school, no one could really question anything when he returned to teach as a teacher at the Rikkai Junior High section. And in Maths too. Oh the predictability.

'Sometimes, I wonder if I actually do deserve the title of the 'genius teacher'…' Yagyuu thought.

During his first term on probation, when he was allowed to lead the class under supervision, the class he had been assigned to topped the level in Maths (duh!) in the next exams. And they were presumably the worst ranked class in said subject before them. Somehow, the students just adored him. Then when he had finally completed his training and studies, he returned and produced a record high of 90% distinctions (high I tell you!) in his form class. The 'last straw' (yeah right, last!) came when he found a mistake in the marking of a senior and well-respected teacher, which drew the line between whether a senior student got a distinction or not. Needless to say, he was promoted to HOD (Head of Department) for Maths after that.

Several days later there were some rumors floating about that the previous HOD had fled with his tail between his legs and had claimed that Yagyuu was a monster teacher. Oh well, no one cared a single bit. They liked Yagyuu much more anyway.

But that was ALL he did, surely he didn't deserve the promotion? Yagyuu simple taught his students the normal way, and engaged in normal conversations with said youngsters, a great deal of which revolved around his life as a tennis regular in Rikkai. Some students even had stars- huge sparkly ones, in their eyes when they knew. They had left quite the legacy in their wake after all, way back then.

Thoughts aside, said guy had just finished his precise and careful marking of the most recent topical tests and tabulated the marks. The next lesson he had was in…he checked his shrunk version of his timetable conveniently slotted into his cardholder. Oh, an hour.

Just then, he spotted a very familiar envelope, hidden well underneath his files. At the sight of that mere article, the normally serious-faced man slipped into a genuine smile.

He still remembered how everyone had made their way home that night, all too weary after spending those last, tense moments with their silver-haired comrade…before he went. He was no exception. Right now, all he had to remember his former doubles partner by was that lone and mere letter.

Now, that was the interesting part though.

When Yagyuu came back from school one day after yet another day of gruelling tennis practice, he picked up the letter- just like he did without fail everyday. That particular day had been really hot, and merciless sun rays shone fiercely on the envelope. The boy opened it as usual…

..,and got a surprise. There was a new message written at the bottom of the letter:

_Let us meet again someday, Hiroshi, and that we will remember each other when we do._

The bespectacled boy didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that one thoughtful statement. So Niou still had that spark in him to sneak in some sort of invisible ink and write that hidden message, one that had been so well done that he hadn't even discovered it until then.

Yagyuu never recalled another time in which he cried so badly.

Now…it was all in the past. All memories. 11 years have gone by since then.

"…yuu-senpai Yagyuu-senpai! Senpai…are you there?"

Woops, he had been spacing out. He had to apologise to whoever was speaking then. The purple-haired man turned to regard his junior.

"Yes, pardon. May I help you, Akami-san?"

"Yes, senpai. I believe the school has already informed you about the new batch of trainees. I just came to introduce the one who has been placed under your charge. Now, Hanako-san…"

…and Akami held her hand out to…thin…air?

The two teachers sweatdropped. Yagyuuu coughed politely.

"Um…perhaps she went to the ladies?"

"No way! She just went 5 minutes ago!...Oh! There she is!"

There were sounds of Akami running out into the corridor where she had seen what-or-who-knows-some-random-thing. Yagyuu simply waited as per his gentlemanly demeanour until the commotion had eased and a rather flustered Akami dragged a girl in front of him. The man started to speak.

"Right…I was informed of this a while ago. It is nice to meet you, Hanako…-san?

There was a few seconds pause and wait as the woman slowly but surely tilted up her head to look him shyly in the eye. It was as if she was reluctant to be here, reluctant to have to be interning under a male teacher…as if she was…scared. That much showed through her eyes.

But that wasn't what made Yagyuu's heart nearly stop just by a mere glance at her.

Hanako was a rather average-sized lady, not too tall or too short. The same height as Akami, if not a couple of centimetres taller. Her front was…well-endowed to say the least, and it looked natural (at this point the megane mentally slapped himself for even focusing at THAT part of a woman's anatomy). Her face was sharp, yet soft at the same time, signifying kindness underneath that seemingly straight face. And then there was her hair- a very beautiful silver-bluish tint that reflected off the light almost magically. But Hanako's choice of hairstyle had apparently ruined a fair bit of it, considering the curtain was currently up in a high ponytail with hair all over her face, as if she had just tied it up in a rush.

Those eyes. Those captivating windows. Emerald with turquoise thrown in for some good measure- sea-green…almost gem-like. They looked so innocent, so pretty.

There was still awkward silence, and being the sharp man he was, Yagyuu actually noticed a tiny flash of recognition pass her eyes as she gazed upon him, before changing into confusion. He had once more opened up his mouth to speak when-

"…Hi…ro…shi?"

At this point Akami's eyes went wide in horror and turned into a flustered pink, embarrassed for the disrespect this newcomer had dared to show a superior, as well as for the said newcomer not knowing how to apologise.

"Hanako-san! How can you call an HOD by his given name? You should know better!"

Hanako looked truly apologetic, her head hung a little low, and she stuttered out.

"I-I-I'm so sorry…it just…"

"Its fine, Akami-san. Let this pass, after all I do have to show her around the school, and time is not too kind to our current situation."

Akami stole a quick glance at her watch and immediately ceased her berating, bowing respectfully to Yagyuu before making herself scarce. However not before sparing Hanako a little warning look though, which Yagyuu had also unfortunately noticed. He shook his head and sighed.

"I do apologise for my colleague's attitude just now. Akami-san believes in deep respect for those above her, and gets…defensive should she be challenged in that aspect. Please forgive her."

Hanako only nodded, her face still a little red from the slip-up just a few minutes ago.

"Gomen, Yagyuu-sensei. When I saw you…I thought I knew you from somewhere and just…called out what I remembered…"

"Its fine, Hanako-san. If the information I was provided with was correct, you are a fellow Math teacher?"

"O-Oh yes!"

The two interacted a lot throughout the day, obviously having to since it was Yagyuu's job to ensure the new trainee teacher knew her way around campus, and was in no danger of getting lost in the vast school should she choose to wander alone. Somehow, every sentence they exchanged, every little smile or that tiny spark of excitement and curiosity showing on Hanako's face- it made the purple-haired man twitch his face into a smile. He did not know the reason why, he just felt like it, like the mere aura of the woman was enough for him to want to show that emotion. Maybe it was the newbie's enthusiasm, or perhaps the way she carried herself?

There was this attraction, this feeling of compatibility. But Yagyuu decided that it was just his mind that was making him think all that.

Night fell soon enough, and after a whole load of school document organising, Yagyuu was prepared for bed. Once more, as always, he went through the routine of reading through Niou's letter, then leaving it on top of his new worksheets without placing it back to its original place.

The moonlight reflecting off the envelope that night was soft and luminous. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

**xXEternallyXx**

She was a very pleasant woman, a shy one around strangers or those she did not know too well. She was kind, she was gentle, and very willing to help her fellow colleagues in any way she can. But once you got to know her…one could say…

…that she was naughty.

Nope, not the 'flirtatious' type of naughty, but plain cheekiness that just brightened up her personality even more than it already was. A cheerful side of her that most soon came to accept. Keyword being 'most'.

One good example would be that time she offered to do coffee duty for her superiors and added salt instead of sugar into Akami-sensei's tea- all just to see said teacher's expression. And let us just say…she somehow managed to land herself some 2.4km physical training- around the entire school, courtesy of a very furious and spluttering Akami, whom besides teaching Maths too also relieved PE lessons on a frequent basis. Well hey, they say exercise does good for your health, no?

Right. That and that Hanako was also a Math genius in her own right, and it was taking her higher and higher on the popularity list of the students. Some of the other staff even started teasing Yagyuu about his 'position' being threatened with the arrival of the newbie. Not that the bespectacled guy really minded of course.

It went without saying that the woman graduated quickly from her academy and joined Rikkai Dai as an official teacher indefinitely. All was well, since Hanako had already been in the school for a while, and was familiar with her surroundings.

*Swoosh…*

Oh, a form. Being the only one in the staff room at the moment, Yagyuu got up from his seat to retrieve the stray piece of paper.

It was already near midnight, and yet he was still there, compiling results for a selection test held 2 days ago. Plus that was after he had approved 2 enrichment programmes, 3 workshops, and churned out a 10-page worksheet for the newest topic. Damn those workaholic geniuses.

Back to the story people.

It was a form containing Hanako's personal particulars- a photocopy of it to be exact. He looked to where it could possibly have flown from. Well, the other's table was pretty nearby. To have been so careless as to leave something like that lying about was something Yagyuu disapproved of in his department, but he decided to let it go. Not that the said person was there to be warned anyway.

Something about the form looked so enticing. It was like it was compelling the HOD to read it. But this belonged on her desk, it was Hanako's possession. He couldn't look, could he?

He looked anyway.

_Name: Hanako Masahira_

_Birth Date: 12 December_

_Blood Type: A_

_Age: 25_

_Major(s): _

_Elementary Mathematics (Junior High, Year 1, 2, 3)_

_Additional Mathematics (Junior High Year 2, 3)_

There was much more stuff written on that paper, but it wouldn't be too kind to read any further than that. It would be invading the privacy of a woman. Gentlemen didn't do that.

Having replaced the form carefully back at its rightful spot, Yagyuu quickly packed up and went home. He had had a long day.

"Eh…eto…Yagyuu-sensei?"

"What is it, Hanako-san?" He looked up.

"Well…there are some documents that I need to verify with you as well as the newly created worksheets that require your final proof-reading…and lots of other stuff. Do you think you can stay back for a little while this afternoon to settle it all together?"

At this point the older teacher (by a few months) looked thoughtful. There were lots of work he had to do that day and some emails that he needed to check, as well as- that's it! Yagyuu got an idea that would solve both their problems.

"That would be a good idea, but I propose going to my place. It will definitely be quiet there and I know the band will be practicing in the field today."

"H-How could I, Yagyuu-sensei? Wouldn't your girlfriend be jealous of you? I mean she might…you know…"

As Hanako trailed away, her eyes averting from Yagyuu's gaze.

"…what girlfriend?"

Silence. More silence. Even more silence. A gust of wind blew a few fallen leaves by, followed by a couple of tumbleweeds. And then there was a crow which decided to caw by…

Hanako had this look of dramatic shock and horror on her face as she backed about half a dozen steps away from where she had originally stood (yes! Yagyuu counted!). Of course, said man did not understand why she did that.

"Sensei…how could you not have a girlfriend? Over half of the female population here at Rikkai, including the Senior High section, are infatuated with you! It's just not possible!..."

And then started the forte of the women's population- the dramatic sobbing and crying in the corner, proclaiming to the world how unfair -insert example here- and -insert example here- is… guaranteed to make the men go soft and agree to the woman's wishes in order to placate her.

But Yagyuu is Yagyuu, and he did not attempt to placate her.

Really, the man sometimes wondered if Hanako actually had a split personality, as well as what he could have done in his past life to deserve such a…an…eccentric teacher under his charge.

Now it was his turn (inwardly) to wail to the heavens about how unfair the world was.

It was…a pretty warm house. Perhaps that empty feeling she felt…was because the owner lived alone.

Hanako was thinking as she watched her colleague proof-read the needed documents with remarkable speed that left her literally gaping. That guy could not possibly be human. She got tired of watching him after a while, and since she had nothing that she could do currently, a mini daydream sounded nice. Her thoughts were more on her surroundings than on the stack of worksheets that needed re-typing when she got home later. It was rather sad that such a great guy (Yagyuu) was still a bachelor –insert sighs here-

"Sensei, may I go to the toilet?"

"…you sound like a student, Hanako-san. It's the second door on the left."

The young teacher nodded as she inwardly chuckled at her senior's temporary (albeit momentarily, hope you readers saw it!) slip of his gentlemanly etiquette.

Hanako did not take too long in the toilet, instead choosing to take in some of her surroundings (dammit, call it a house!) and enjoy it. Yagyuu may not be some hot-shot designer or anything like that, but he sure had the potential to become one. The wallpaper was beautiful, intricate patterns seemingly indented into the walls- and it did not look too shabby considering it was a guy's home. Further down the corridor were some planks built into the wall to act as shelves for photo frames, as well as a small table, which already had many photo frames strewn about it. There was also a mirror.

Photos of him when he was in middle-school, of his milestones in life. Hanako's attention rested on the second-largest photo frame.

That was one interesting picture.

Yagyuu had never, ever lost his cool in public. It was a rather remarkable feat in itself, considering that he was one of the few genuinely sane ones in the group of insanity that were the Rikkai tennis regulars during his graduating year. He could even list out perfectly each and every method that the team had utilised over the years to try and make him lose his temper, in alphabetical and chronological order. All had yet to see him lose his temper in public.

None of it meant anything, really. It just meant that he could hide his true emotions really well. Ha, Niou had always teased him a lot about it.

Niou.

Niou was that one person that Yagyuu could not forget, could not stop thinking about. He also did not and could not understand something. His longing for Niou- that empty feeling that he always felt whenever he read that letter, had lessened considerably since Hanako had made an appearance in his life, and that was what he was worried about. Had his love for his former doubles partner been this shallow? Did life perhaps decide for him that maybe their relationship was not meant to be, and forcefully pushed Hanako into his life?

Now that he thought about it, he could see why he had this attraction towards her. There were too many similarities between Niou and her. They had the same colours in their features, that same streak of mischief that you would not know existed in the other until you knew them really well, since they would act innocent most of the time (on a much lesser scale for Hanako though…). Maybe it was that personality that drew him in. Opposites attract sometimes, and that was a fact for Yagyuu's case.

Confusing thoughts were looming. Yagyuu was thankful that he had finally finished his work for the day. Now he had the time to maybe relax a little and think more about it, to gather up his thoughts and set them straight again. To him, this felt like a difficult maths problem he couldn't solve, and he believed that he would be able to, if given the time.

Right, come to think of it…Hanako had been gone for quite a long time.

It was then that he heard a shrill scream.

Hanako.

**xXEternallyXx**

A beautiful, very beautiful picture it was.

It was a group photo of the Rikkai tennis regulars, those years back. Back in the days when all they had to worry about were studies and club activities, those carefree times. A casual photo, with the youths hanging off each other, smiling and laughing at the camera without a care in the world. It was easy enough to spot Yagyuu in the picture. He did stand out in his own way. Honestly, that guy didn't look like he had changed much appearance-wise from then and now. A silver-haired boy leaning on him caught her attention.

He looked so familiar…as if she had…seen him somewhere before, which was totally impossible. She knew no one who looked like that. But then, what was this almost overwhelming sense of familiarity that she was feeling right now? Come to think of it…this photo just stank of nostalgia- she hated feeling something she couldn't recognize.

Then it came, a stinging pain in her head.

Hanako held her head and winced, slowly relaxing for couple of seconds when the pain had passed. But no, this was far from over. The painful sensations kept on coming, in waves much like tsunamis, hitting harder and harder each time.

A fuzzy video. A distant, hidden memory.

_A redhead- he was wearing the Rikkai tennis uniform. He had this look of anger, in those eyes of his. He was chasing after…me?…there was also laughter all around…_

The scene suddenly changed to another.

_A guy wearing that black cap, from that picture just now. He seemed to be in a bad mood…barking at the club members to work harder when they were already sweating buckets…_

A wave of pain hit, then another, each time bringing new memories to the surface. Each was more powerful than the last. Tears were streaming from Hanako's eyes nearly endlessly by now. The woman couldn't stop those tears, there were just so many emotions, those of happiness, those of anger, those of excitement…and…those of…love?

_Dark purple hair. Those trademark glasses that made the wearer look so attractive instead of nerdy. That gentle and loving smile, perhaps more caring than loving…but still…there was no mistaking that person…_

"Y-Yagyuu-sensei…"

_Memories of playing tennis…memories of having done so alongside him. There were emotions of happiness, adrenaline-rushed excitement, and a tint of sadness. There was also a feeling akin to a crush…_

By now, the headaches were getting slower, and the pain duller. It finally stopped and the silverette teacher could now catch her breath and stabilize herself, as she picked herself up from where she had fallen on the floor from all the sudden attacks. There was calm after the storm. Hanako Masahira placed the photo frame very carefully, back to its original place.

Her eyes had begun to betray her again. Her hands too.

They moved to pick up yet another photo frame. The largest one of them all. A picture of Yagyuu…and that silverette boy. Just the two of them in that picture together. And Yagyuu was smiling so happily, so genuinely…it was painful. But why was it painful? It was as if some kind of tragic incident accompanied the pain…

This was it. The last and most powerful memory came.

_There were tears and sobbing. The morose atmosphere was only too evident. The location was too fuzzy to make out…a memory full of suffering and breathlessness…_

Hanako's breaths came in short bursts again, she was hyperventilating, cold sweat running profusely down her face, those sea-green eyes glazed over from enduring the mental turmoil. She cracked open an eye to look in the mirror that had been so conveniently located just above the table. She saw…that silverette?

_Yagyuu's face was so close, his eyes could be seen behind those glasses…he looked nervous. He looked as if he had difficulty…trying to say something…_

The teacher's eyes suddenly widened as she saw where this memory was headed.

…_a…kiss…?_

With that, she screamed, darkness claiming her.

* * *

**And here we come to the end of the longest chapter for Eternally that I have written yet. Give me some cheers, come on XDXD Just kidding.**

**Yesh, I will be continuing this story, judging by how much I still love this story and need it to get rid of some of my negative feelings...**

**Also, I just went over all of my stories and suddenly found this to be my most popular story yet, from the average number of reviews per chapter that it had received since it was first posted, and I really hope it will continue to increase:)**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon:)**


	4. I saw and I realised

**Hihi, its me, your faithful authoress! XDXD**

**Thanks for the wait, bet it was much shorter than the last one, but from now I won't have the time to rush type these chapters even though they are already pre-written, so please bear with me, alright?**

**I'm starting to really like this pairing and the story itself :) Ideas just come so easily I can't write them down fast enough! XD**

**Disclaimer: I can't draw Niou or Yagyuu for dust, let alone peanuts OR money.**

**Warning(s): Carried over, more crack in this, definite OOCness, add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

The last thing Hanako remembered, was a throbbing headache. She remembered…Yagyuu rushing out of the room at the sound of her scream and shouting out her name…before the world blurred…and all went black.

"Hanako-san!"

The last thing Yagyuu remembered, was his junior (once again only by a few months) screaming her lungs out for the world to hear before fainting on him. He had just barely caught her in time before she just slumped into an unresponsive heap on the floor. The girl looked visibly pained, as if she just had some kind of mental torture. Further observation showed the man that she had been holding on to the last photo he had taken all those years ago.

Frowning in puzzlement, he tried to link the events, but to no avail. All he could do was to gently remove the photo from her grip and replace it where it belonged. Still, no idea came to him as to why Hanako reacted the way she did. It was just so weird.

The megane picked the woman up bridal-style and placed her on his bed, watching as she slept. She looked so peaceful, except for perhaps that occasional frowning, which suggested that she was not having such a pleasant dream. It was at this point that Yagyuu found himself almost…mesmerized by her. Hanako was really beautiful…and he now had this fortune of viewing her from up-close. The silver hair that would look almost celestial if not for her choice of hairstyle, and that body that just screamed feminine. Nope, the purple-haired man was not going to ravish her- he had far better self-control than that. He just stared.

Something told him, amidst all those confused thoughts, that he should give it a chance. Told him, that this was life's second opportunity being thrown at him, or to put it in better terms, handed to him on a silver platter (pardon the lame pun). And he thought it was right.

Shaking his head, the man looked at the clock on his wall. No signs of waking coming from Hanako, and it had been an hour. It was also getting late. Yagyuu got up to bathe, knowing he would be able to think better when he was clean of all that sweat and dirt that might have gotten on him throughout the day. He trusted that Hanako would be able to take care of herself if she woke up while he was gone.

**xXEternallyXx**

"_Yagyuu~ teach me how to do your technique already…"_

"_I'm afraid not, Niou-kun. Even I have not perfected my Laser Beam yet…"_

Switch.

"_Masaharu, remember to tell me if you have any problems here, alright? I kind of promised Niou-obasan…"_

"_Hai, Sei-nii. We will have to keep it a secret, right?"_

"_Yes, sorry. But its for your own good too. None of the regulars will take it that well if they knew we are somehow related…"_

Switch.

"_Senpai! Are you sure we should be doing this?"_

"_Don't worry, brat. No one will find out if we are careful…"_

A groan. Underneath the blankets.

The silver-haired woman sat up a little groggily, everything around her slowly blurring into view. So…she was in her colleague's room…on his bed of all places. The thought of it made her blush furiously.

Now came some small fragments of memories…about conversation with people she did not know. Everything was starting to confuse her even further, and further if that was even possible.

She remembered what happened just now, with the sudden onslaught of memories. There had been too much to bear, and she guessed she had passed out. It was as if…those 2 photos had been a key all along…and finally found its rightful lock- her memory lane. Everything that came out of it was foreign to Hanako, like finding your friend's things in your bag, stuff which are just not supposed to be there.. Why did she remember so many things she should not have? Why did she remember Yagyuu's tennis team? Why did she remember them as friends and not strangers, when it should clearly have been the other way round? And…why did she remember the purple-haired man's name when they had only met for the very first time…?

"…_Hi…ro…shi?"_

Everything, everything so far could not have been a simple coincidence. There was something about herself that she did not know, did not remember- and it was driving her nearly insane. Stumbling a little as she slowly got off the bed, she tried to calm her thoughts. As if having such a confused mind wasn't bad enough, it felt overly awkward staying alone in a guy's room. Though it was not as if said guy was present anyway.

Her eyes shifted about to inspect the room, since she didn't dare to do so just now with Yagyuu looking. It would have been too rude to do that. Her gaze finally landed on Yagyuu's desk, and she sighed as she shook her pretty head. For a perfect and flawless gentlemen everyone had known him to be, Yagyuu sure was a little…disorganised. Those stacks of paperwork could use a lot of tidying up. Hanako went over.

Once again there was this weird feeling, as if helping her friend was something she was used to doing, supposed to be doing. Knowing full well that those weird thoughts and feelings would just keep coming even though she was trying her hardest to ignore them, she just stopped paying attention to them. Her body- and mostly her mind, just moved and worked by themselves. Tidying…tidying…

Class 3-D's worksheets…the new maths workshop form…the…

…a letter?

Despite a huge part of herself protesting against violating others' privacy, the silverette woman just couldn't stop her hands from reaching out for that…letter. The very pretty two-toned lavender and silver envelope, which looked just a little worn. She could only hope now that she wouldn't regret doing this. Gentle prying hands took the letter slowly out of the envelope, and it consisted of quite a few pages.

If anything, this might hold the key to everything. Maybe even the answers she was looking for.

Time start: Now.

**xXEternallyXx**

Just the first page. Only the first page. It was enough.

Trembling dainty hands replaced the letter neatly where their owner had last found it in order not to raise suspicion. More memories and fuzzy stuff had intruded into Hanako's mind again, only with a less powerful effect this time. That was it, Hanako had had enough. Sure, a great load of these memories and weird, unfamiliar images had made themselves known. But yet, the links between them were completely non-existent. Like a beaded necklace with its string cut…the numerous beads scattered randomly everywhere…

Just a few moments after the woman had settled herself back into a 'not-so-suspicious' look on the bed, as in making as if she had just woken up, Yagyuu stepped in. His hair was still somewhat damp from the shower and he was taking great care in drying those smooth purple locks with his towel. He smiled kindly, seeing as Hanako was finally up.

Hanako had to look away. Since more and more memories resurfaced, the affection and emotions she felt towards and for the other teacher only deepened. Just the sight of him made her heart flutter so, just the sight of him just glancing at her directly made her face go hot. Why was this so? Why? No way could she let him see her in this state.

"Hanako-san, you are awa-"

Yagyuu stopped. He had taken note of the expression on his female colleague's face. To say it was negative and simply angry, would be a total understatement. A horrendous mix of sadness, melancholy, anger, confusion, and depression. Then came silence between the two, an awkward one, until Hanako decided to break it.

"Yagyuu-sens-…No…Hiroshi…"

The woman looked up pleadingly at him, nearly shocking Yagyuu out of his wits, even though he didn't show it on the outside. It was so unusual to see the typically happy-go-lucky teacher seem so broken and upset.

"Before you say anything…I''m sorry. I have been so rude, looking at those photos without your permission, and then now I've called you by your given name without permission…But then, so many memories came…and they were all of your tennis team!"

The man stayed silent, obviously not piecing anything together, since the woman simply blurted everything out like that with no apparent order.

"Hanako…"

"I asked myself why, why? Memories I didn't remember having…in so many bits and pieces…that I could make nothing out of them! So please…"

Yagyuu cocked his head to the side, showing that he had been listening, and waited for what she might say next.

"Kiss me please."

"W-W-Wha-"

"Please…just once. Take it as a selfish request from me, I promise to make it up to you in any way you might want…but just…"

That very request nearly turned him into stone. The megane found himself blushing and stuttering at this rather…sudden request from one of the opposite gender, and from a good friend nonetheless. There was hesitation- a lot of it. Hanako had also decided on this course of action, seeing as how Yagyuu made up a majority of the memories that she had been seeing.

"…Ok…if it would…help you…"

Hanako smiled weakly in response.

"Thank you, sensei. I'm so sorry for suddenly forcing this on you…but its just that…oh nevermind…"

Then slowly, and hesitantly…lips met…gently…

This was it. If this invoked any memories, then she…would finally get her answer. She would finally be free of this turmoil that was raging inside of her.

It was working pretty quickly, the kiss. Those broken, non-existent links between all those snippets and fragments of memories…were starting to reform and return, mending themselves, and eventually allowing the memories to start to organise themselves, to become whole and logical again. It felt so good, so much calmer…and so much more comforting than just now…

Realization hit her in a single wave, as the last link returned. Damn, she should have known, she should have known. She should have remembered sooner!

She…she was Niou Masaharu. And she…he?...was one of the King Rikkai's undefeatable tennis regular team. Yagyuu's doubles partner…and his…lover…

And as the last shards of all those past memories fell into their rightful places, the two separated, Yagyuu blushing like never before. Hanako was inwardly weeping tears of joy at her reunion with the one currently before her, her man. Or rather, his. She had never been this gender-confused before, but Hanako (Niou) supposed that she was used to it and sane enough not to go mad just from this. She also couldn't help but grin a little at the flustered state of Yagyuu before her. He didn't see it of course.

"Eto…H-Hanako-san…the…kiss…"

"Its been a long time…"

Yagyuu looked up at the change in tone of Hanako's voice.

"Do you remember me, Hiroshi? Can you look into my eyes…"

The bespectacled man looked confused, and was frowning in puzzlement at everything, not understanding any of it. And even if he did, only very little. Niou sighed dramatically. So there was only one way she could do it, huh?

"Yo, mitteminshai (Yo, take a look at that), the Gentleman is blushing~"

Complete with a pony-tail twirling motion and a mischievious wink. It was enough to jog a memory in Yagyuu's vast mind storage.

The said man was currently at a loss for words. Only one person said that phrase, only one person spoke in that slang, and that person had already passed away 11 years ago. That person was already gone from his life, long gone. So then who was this woman in front of him, speaking like Niou did, and (OMG) looking like Niou did? It was just too…unbelievable, and unreal.

"…N-Niou…kun?"

Niou's eyes turned from mischievous and cheeky back into gentle and calm. She nodded furiously, her tears flowing almost freely now, as she flung herself into Yagyuu's arms, the Gentleman accepting her gladly this time.

"Its Masaharu…you moron…"

"It had been a while, Hana- Masaharu. How have you been?"

"You know that answer, Hiroshi. We have been in contact for quite a while now- as Hanako I mean. So you tell me your side."

It was so beautiful, so happy, this reunion between lovers. The two were currently settled into a 'not-so-appropriate' position on the bed (no, their clothes are still on), where Yagyuu was sitting upright and Niou was laying her head on his lap comfortable. However, there was just awkward silence. Neither knew what topic to start on.

Yagyuu leaned down to kiss Niou's forehead, making her turn a little pink.

"Its so…how do you say it? Incredible…I almost can't believe it…"

"To think I would come back…and that all along my memories were just merely sealed away in the far reaches of my mind. Now that I think about it…when my memories finally pieced together from our kiss…my mentality kind of contradicted. I mean…14 years living as a boy and 11 years living as a woman. Man, I wanna puke…"

"At least now you know the anatomy of the woman in greater detail…as well as how to pleasure them…"

"H-H-Hiroshi!"

Niou yelled out, horrified. Since when did her former doubles partner become this much of a pervert? That being said, the megane just smirked. A lot had changed in both their personalities, time does just that. A couple of seconds later and the two were laughing much like they did before at a casual joke, at yet another of their tennis practices…

"So…how has your love life been?"

…

…

The atmosphere was once again plunged into the unforgiving depths of awkwardness. Unfortunately, the question was by no means a rhetorical one, and had to be answered. Yagyuu's mind processed this much, and the question wasn't completely unreasonable either. Relationships-wise, it was completely possible, especially for two people of their calibre and looks. Since Yagyuu actually looked rather dashing, and Hanako was a true beauty.

"One or two a couple of years back. They were the ones who took the initiative…though my feelings never penetrated deeper than mere fondness. I also couldn't forget you."

At this Niou blushed like hell, and twirled her ponytail nervously.

"Well…me? Maybe it was my looks, and a lot of hunks did try to do me…but we all went 'snap' within a few weeks. Just never felt anything even close to a bond I guess. Even in my sealed self…I couldn't forget either…huh?"

There was no reply as Yagyuu wordlessly stood up (Niou had moved her head by now) and made his way to one of the slightly more hidden shelves and rummaged on top of it. Seemingly having found what he had been looking for, he walked back to where his lover was and plopped the items into her hands.

"Yours."

Niou looked down, and smiled. Her hair band and her wrist weights that she remembered all too well. Her mother must have let Yagyuu keep them. Slipping her current hair band off, she put on the older one and attempted to tie it back into the same style as last time. It failed of course. But the result was messy…and pretty cute. Completely dropping all forms of resistance, the purple-haired man leaned down and pecked her on the cheek playfully. He got a hit in the arm as a response.

*Beep* *Beep*

"Hiroshi, I think that's your answering machine."

"Yes, it must be some kind of personal message. Only a few send me voice messages."

A familiar voice- gentle and melodious, floated from the machine. Oh…how Niou had missed it…she listened intently.

*Hi Yagyuu, its Yukimura here. How have you been? Its been months since we last met, hope you are doing well. Marui suggested a gathering for the old gang at his place next Sunday. Do make the time to come, the others have already sent their confirmation. The address and the other details should be in your inbox by now. Please reply soon and please come. We miss you. Bye.* *Beep*

Oh? Another message?

*Yagyuu-senpai! Its Akaya here. We are having a gathering next Sunday! Dunno it any of the senpai-tachi have already told you, but I did just in case. Everyone will be coming, it's a potluck party! Remember to bring something, senpai. Oh right…and we are visiting Niou-senpai after that…its his birthday if I'm not wrong. Geez…that guy still hasn't fulfilled his promise of coming back to us…haiz…eh? This thing is still recording? Er…woops. Forget you heard anything! Just come ok? Senpai? Ja!* *Beep*

"Oh…Akaya…but I already have…fulfilled…that…promise…"

Niou snuggled closer into Yagyuu's hold, tears of joy flowing from those sea-green orbs of hers. It had been so long since she had last seen her teammates. Would they have changed in any way?

A mischievious smirk. One that Yagyuu returned.

Oh, the synchronised thinking they had since their tennis days hadn't faded one bit. Not a single bit.

*Yukimura-kun, its Yagyuu speaking. Yes, I will be coming to the gathering, rest assured. I will also bring my share of the food like Akaya had mentioned. Also, I shall be bringing a friend along. Will it be alright? Its someone whom I think you and the others will want to meet very much…*

The man purposely left his voice trailing away for an added sense of mystery before sending the message. Niou raised a thumb in approval. This was going to be fun.

*Yagyuu, its Yukimura speaking. Thanks for having made the time to come. I assume from your reply that Akaya has already told you that it would be a potluck party? Oh that boy…Anyway, its really good to hear that you are still coping fine and all, I was really worried when you didn't respond to my previous messages. Oh and regarding your friend, Marui says its fine- he says it might be your girlfriend. Haha, ignore that guy. Genichirou says hi. And remember Gentleman, we will be visiting Niou, its his birthday, thought I would remind you. Until next Sunday then.* *Beep*

"…Since when did…Marui become a…mind-reader?"

"Oh? Are you admitting yourself as the girl now? Well physically-wise you already are…"

Yagyuu had to dodge two 10kg power weights thrown with deadly accuracy at him.

"Shut the heck up, Hiroshi!"

**xXEternallyXx**

"…and so by substituting this term with an 'x', we get a quadratic equation. From this point onwards you will only need to apply what I taught you last lesson to solve it. Any questions? No?"

Sounds of hastened scribbling and firm shakes of heads replied her. Niou smiled happily, it always pleased her that her youngsters loved the subject that she loved most. Much as she loved to be cheeky and naughty outside of class, she always managed to transform back into 'perfect teacher mode' whenever a student was present. A bond connected every student to every teacher, and Niou really did not know if she should feel happy that the students were more concentrated on her than the lessons, or not. The woman just had that effect on almost everyone.

Yagyuu smiled as he happened to pass by his lover's form class. Niou truly had the sought after 'teacher's charisma' even back when he was in middle school. The HOD had seen then how patient the other could be at teaching those younger than himself. Having 'Hanako's body' was also a plus, considering that her popularity was already on par with him- he had the female students and she the male students. Between the two of them, their old school continued surpassing past records and soaring high above the limits of what their seniors had achieved in the last 10 years. Well…once again it was completely predictable. The Trickster had higher Math scores than even Yagyuu last time, and the Gentleman was not too far behind either.

And soon came lunchtime, when the couple were finally given some relief from taking lessons and could make their way to the canteen for some lunch together. Having bought their food and found a table, they sat down, and Niou started the ball rolling.

"So…Sei-nii took the bait, huh. When did he finally realise that the bait was dangling in front of him all along and take it?"

"About a year after you left, Masaharu. Apparently Yukimura-kun accidentally saw a reminder Sanada-kun put on his handphone- something romantic I think. And…I suppose I don't need to continue for you."

"Sei-nii blushes like mad, Sanada-fukubuchou blushes like mad, Marui somehow manages to get the two of them together in the room- completely alone. And the rest somehow manages to 'stumble accidentally through the door' just in time to catch the lovebirds in a full make-out session. Oh and they get assigned 110 laps for that. How did I do?"

Yagyuu raised his hands in mock defeat and sighed a little dramatically. Niou simply smirked her usual.

"Down to the exact number of laps. And you claim Marui is a mind-reader…"

"Sadly, Hiroshi, I'm not. So let me guess…Marui?"

"Nope, he wished though, said it was the best 'get the secret crushes together' plan he had ever had a part to play in."

"Damn. Then…Jackal doesn't seem the type, Yanagi doesn't interfere…and against my better judgement, the brat?"

Yagyuu just shook his head. It was only at this point that Niou finally took note of her lover's facial expression. He had this really interesting grin on, and was tilting his head a little to the side. She thought that she saw those glasses flash for a moment or so, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

"…wait just a bit…no…you didn't…"

Yagyuu finally gave a nod and slid his glasses down his nose a little, revealing those mysterious deep purple eyes of his. A rare instance, but creepy nonetheless.

"Pardon Masaharu, but he just left his handphone sitting there…and I couldn't resist, puri~"

It was at this very point that Niou really wondered to the heavens why in the world did she fall fall in love with this guy. For contrary to popular belief, if Niou was said to be the spawn of the devil, then Yagyuu was probably Satan himself. And also, that time the science teacher found a toad in her lab sink after giving an amazingly unreasonable amount of homework the day before?

Er…no. Niou was not the one who did it.

**xXEternallyXx**

"Marui? Did something happen?"

The redhead frowned. The old results slip that contained the first and last time he had topped Nious maths score- he had placed it on his desk, right under the window. Now just one careless moment of not 'closing the window before going out and it rains heavily' later, it was wet and tattered, the printed words now nearly illegible. Marui groaned.

"Hey…Marui?"

"O-Oh, Jackal! Nothing happened…just thinking about how to clean this up…"

"Ok…if there is nothing wrong. Let me wash up for a bit first, the rain was heavy…"

It was only when Jackal was out of the room and well out of earshot that the bishounen gave a heavy sigh and slumped tiredly on his bed. He pulled open his bedside table drawer and pulled out a red and green two-toned envelope, one that was a tad bit crumpled from age. 11 years was a long time after all.

He read Niou's letter. Once, twice over. Marui groaned again.

He had this annoying feeling…that something was going to happen really soon…

* * *

**And for some of you who find mistakes in a fresh upload of mine, don't worry. I will always check back when I get up the next day, reason for this being that I usually upload late in the night and overlook some stuff, like missing page-breaks (its freakin annoying I tell you!) and all that.**

**Hey and do you readers want to read my supernatural explanation as to why Niou is in a body that is as old as Yagyuu's and not in a child's body that is 14 years his junior? I have it all planned and written out. Tell me if you want it as a chapter in your reviews!**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon:)**


	5. Understanding the other

**Nya~ Its been a long wait~**

**First off, some good news:) The results of my school's 'Central Judging for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) for Secondary Choirs'. Gimme some drumrolls, people!**

***Drumrolls* We got...*pauses for dramatic effect*...GOLD WITH HONOURS! WOOT!**

**Its been a tough journey for us, since the past year. Especially so in the last 4 months leading up to this competition, where we really went all the way and sang at every opportunity that came up. I nearly even lost my voice...but in the end it was all worth it:)**

**Right. So thats it for my awesome and dramatic *is hit for her ego* announcement.**

**For this chapter of **_**Eternally**_**, I was really shocked when I started writing way beyond my supposed word target for this story...which would be about 4000? Yep. It hit an awesome record of approx 5700 words (rounded off). Guess this would be a nice reward for all you readers who have been following me since the start of this story. A gift for having supported me as well as my longer than usual break.**

**Eh...woops. Just realised how long my starting A/Ns are. Will talk more at the end.**

**Disclaimer: POT was intended to be a Yaoi manga, only changed cuz the mangaka wanted more readers. Not making any sense? Good. It wasn't supposed to XD**

**Warning(s): Carried over as usual, pathetic attempt at some crack, fluff near the end, negative flow of events at one point...add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

Well, with all the happenings so far, it was not really surprising that Niou soon moved in with Yagyuu. It was to be expected, was it not? The paperwork as well as the arrangements with her previously rented apartment were settled quickly (no thanks to a certain megane…), and it took only 2 rounds to bring all her stuff there, since there was not even much to begin with. It was Yagyuu who suggested the idea, saying something along the lines of it being more convenient for them. The two even left for work together.

It was currently night time at the house, and well past midnight. Of course, a certain HOD would still be up at this hour doing who knows what and all that. Niou had foreseen that of course, and her face twisted up into a naughty grin as she carried out her oh-so-wonderful plan of trying to get Yagyuu to go to bed and leave all that work to tomorrow.

The Trickster had been given a room of her own, and she made full use of it. It was nice, just the right size for her to put all her stuff and not feel too cramped. She even invested some money in a full length mirror, which was sure to serve some useful purposes for situations…

…like now.

The silverette beamed at her reflection in the mirror. She felt she had done well in choosing this piece of nightwear. It sure looked decent…in her opinion of course. And it served her purposes all too well. Now we wouldn't want to know for exactly what purposes now, do we?

"Hiiiiiiiroshiiiiiiiii!~~"

There was a bounce in Niou's steps as she bounded over to Yagyuu's room and knocked on the door, as was her habit before gently pushing it open and finding her lover still going at it at his desk much like a robot. She sighed as she stayed at the door, and drawled on.

"Neh, Hiroshi, its getting late…you should go to sleep now…"

Oh yes, oh yes, that poutful (yes, I know this word is non-existent) and pleading tone…

No reply.

"Hiroshi~~ Go to bed already~"

Ok, now the frustrated and VERY poutful (I believe I already said I know this word is non-existent) pleading tone…

There was an exasperated sigh. And Yagyuu turned his head, his body following suit in the rotating chair (you know…those you find in offices?).

"Masaharu…I have to rush these consent forms and selection test worksheets by tomorrow. The vice-princi-"

The purple-haired man cut himself off and immediately turned to face his worksheets once again, just barely short of bursting into a great nosebleed he was convinced, would most definitely rival the Niagara Falls. Damn, much as he was a Gentleman, he had his limits too! And Niou was just pushing it. Totally pushing it.

She was still standing at the door, yep- she did this every night without fail. But it was what she was wearing this particular night that totally drove Yagyuu to the very edge of his limits. A white, one-piece nightdress that stopped short of about 15 centimetres from the knees, made of semi-transluscent material. The way it wrapped around her curves left quite little to the imagination, and her hair was also let down, in all its celestial silver glory. An angel…a seductive angel. Yet here Niou was, acting all innocent as if she didn't know what she had just done to the self-control of her boyfriend!

Oh yes…for Yagyuu…the edge of the cliff was very near…very near…

(A/N: Tenimyu song reference. See if you readers can guess the Myu and the song XDXD)

Unknown to the megane, he had a hand to his nose, for very obvious reasons that do not need to be said. He was also completing the rest of his tasks with much more fervour, seemingly having more drive in completing it faster and getting to sleep than before. Niou smirked as she soundlessly entered the room, slowly stepping forward.

The silverette's hands snaked around Yagyuu's broad and strong shoulders, hugging him, her head nuzzling against his, much like a spoilt kitten. This made a huge blush creep out onto his face. He had to reach out and attempt to push her away a little, muttering something about distractions and Niou needing her sleep.

How wrong he was to do that. How wrong.

An unhappy Trickster was not good at all, and the Gentleman had chosen to learn the hard way. Niou refused to let go, instead choosing to lick the side of the guy's neck sexily, inwardly smirking in victory as the said guy let out a moan. She then stopped and moved to hug him even tighter from behind, ensuring that the assets that she had been so generously blessed with by nature was not put to waste. The effect of it was almost instantaneous.

That being said, Yagyuu could not continue with his work even if he wanted to. A certain silver-haired woman made sure of it. Finally giving in, he stood up and pulled his mildly surprised lover into a light embrace, planting a goodnight kiss on her forehead. She blushed cutely in response- something that was not helping with the self-control that the man had been so proud of…until approximately 10 minutes ago that was.

With a nod, Niou happily skipped off to bed, making sure that her nightdress was so brilliantly flipped up every time she jumped up a little (she even wore lace undies to…enhance the effect). Closing the door to her room, she smirked evilly once more.

Now this was something she should do more often- it had a rather…large success rate.

In his room, Yagyuu Hiroshi sneezed…many times.

It apparently seemed that Niou had decided to make it a habit of hers to do something …arousing to her boyfriend at least once a day. The difference in teaching schedules weren't big enough of an obstacle to put her off doing that. It was annoyingly becoming a routine.

Like that time during lunch, when all the teachers except the two of them had gone to the cafeteria for something to eat. The silverette had actually given Yagyuu a quick hickie while he was off-guard for just a couple of moments, and conveniently placed it where it wouldn't easily be hidden. Blowing a kiss, Niou told her boyfriend where she would be sitting, and took off.

With only a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking, the Gentleman banged his head on his desk- hard. How many times? He lost count.

Then there was also this time when…something else happened. No one really knew if it was an accident or anything. Even Niou had looked shell-shocked when it happened. Yagyuu was just simply walking briskly towards his next class, and the other was also in the process of transitioning classes. It was inevitable that they should cross paths in the corridor some way or another. Nothing should have happened…but apparently some joker decided to leave spilt water on the floor- a big puddle at that. It was at such a convenient spot, at such a convenient timing…

…that it sent the Gentleman plunging headfirst into…the Valley of Ample Bosomness (copyrighted!).

All around them, the closet pervert teachers were inwardly cursing Yagyuu's good luck at being able to enjoy the embrace of the Valley without having to put in any effort at all.

It was during situations like these that pins seemed to suddenly gain a whole lot of mass, as proven when they could be heard when dropped to the floor. Surrounding students and teachers alike just stood there…stoned at the sight. It was a couple of seconds before a very flustered Yagyuu got himself out of that position and Niou bowed her head down, donning a blush deep enough to rival that ripe tomato she saw at the market the other day.

Apologies, and more jumbled up mumbling before awkward silence. The fact that they bumped each other (again) just as they tried to continue on to their respective classes did not help matters.

Nothing more was said and the witnesses as the subjects alike just went about their own business. The student who had come back with a towel to clean up the mess that he had so clumsily created…decided that the water would dry by itself and quickly ran away after seeing the scene.

"Masaharu…"

A sharp intake of breath before Niou looked up from her lunch and faced the Gentleman. They were seated at the same table like usual, but she had been unusually quiet and unattentive.

"Y-Yes…Hiroshi?"

"A-A-About…just now…I…uh…"

"I-I….uh…oh god…"

Stealing glances at each others' blushing and flustered expressions, the couple finally couldn't resist a grin, and they started laughing.

"I swear Hiroshi, if you had been wondering about it, that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I swear."

"I believe you. It was just rather…sudden."

"So how do you like the feel of my br-"

A sound similar to a light slap sounded as Yagyuu clamped a hand over Niou's mouth before she could say anymore. They stayed in that weird posture for a while before the Trickster frowned and gently tugged his hand off her face, sitting down obediently (quite reluctantly, might I add). With a greeting of "Ittadakimasu!" to start it off, the two dug in to their meals.

Having finished the food pretty quick, the two adults had quite some free time on their hands, and the silverette decided to start off the topic of the coming gathering of the old team at Marui's place.

"Ne, Hiroshi. We still haven't thought of a dish to bring to the gathering…any in mind?"

"Hm…"

Discussions went back and forth, with most of the plans for the weekend event having been agreed on by the time the lunch bell sounded and classes were to resume. Niou laughed quietly to herself. A date that night sounded absolutely inviting.

**xXEternallyXx**

Evening brought on a whole different atmosphere compared to the hustle and bustle of the morning in Kanagawa. It was that time of the day when events of the day finally wound down and people got off work. The time of the day that was considered the most romantic by some, and often the time when most dates took place. There were those boyfriends who were eager to impress their girls on the first date, and there were also those middle-aged couples who had long passed the peak of their lives- on a simple date to celebrate the amount of time they had been with each other.

There was also, of course, the young adult couples. Those who mostly already had a stable career, with their dates being either childhood sweethearts or someone who caught their eye at work. Or perhaps it was someone they had had a crush on since their schooldays…and finally had enough courage to ask that one special person out…

Yagyuu had insisted on Niou letting her hair down, claiming that she would suffer from hair loss should she keep her hair tied up like that all the time. After much persuasion, Niou reluctantly agreed, and combed the silky silver locks back neatly, placing on an amethyst studded hairclip that she had recently bought. Much as she hated letting her hair down as it meant it getting in her face nearly all the time, it was a good chance to show off that hairclip that she had so thoughtfully picked out.

Checking her appearance one last time, the silverette was satisfied. She had on a V-neck dress which showed her front assets just a little teasingly, cute cupped-shaped sleeves, and the fold of the skirt billowing out perfectly. A plain black choker flaunted her slim neck. The one-piece casual wear caught her curves just at the right spots and made Niou look really attractive. Adding on the fact that she even put on a bit of make-up, it was no wonder she took quite some time before she finally picked up her handbag and stepped out the door.

The moment the megane turned to look at his girlfriend, he gasped, blushing all the way to the roots of his hair, and finding the unnecessary need to obsess himself with adjusting his glasses and fussing over his shoes just to hide his expression.

His date for the night was just…drop-dead gorgeous. He was going to have to keep a sharp eye out for anyone else who just might try to flirt with or hit on her.

If Niou could see what sort of horrible homicidal thoughts her boyfriend was currently having, she would have backed off really, really far away by now…

**xXEternallyXx**

A dinner at a small restaurant kick-started the first official date that Niou and Yagyuu shared. It was awkward at first, but the tension gradually let up when the purple-haired man had found the voice to ask his date where she wanted to eat at. Niou had chuckled at that and pondered for a while before settling on their current location. The food was fantastic, and the place brought back memories of when the entire team went there for a treat by Yukimura's mother as a reward for winning the district preliminaries.

The food had long been finished and the dreary-eyed lovers now settled for simply staring at each other, taking in the beautiful sight that was the others' eyes. In the background, Niou swore she heard some of the waitresses squealing a little at them and some sighing with jealousy. She felt a pang of that particular emotion for a few moments too, but let it go. After all, no one was going to steal her man from her, not if she could help it.

"…and then he apologised, saying something like he thought that it was the correct dye…"

"Seriously? I thought those bottles were clearly labelled."

"I know! How stupid can he be? I had to wash for ages to get that stuff out…"

Niou was the first to break their gaze as she raised an eyebrow in confusion. She thought she heard some familiar voices, and looked around the restaurant just to make sure. What she saw had her momentarily frozen- not really the shocked type of frozen, but rather, the unexpected type of frozen. So she had not heard wrong.

Marui was sitting just a few tables away from them, complaining to his still-bald companion Jackal about all sorts of stuff. It seemed like they came just after knocking off from work and were simply enjoying a meal as friends. Well, maybe the redhead somehow managed to persuade Jackal to pay for their meal…but that would be a whole other story altogether, so we shall not go there.

"Oh crap."

The Trickster could only think as Marui looked to where her head had just been seconds ago and saw Yagyuu. He smiled and poked Jackal seemingly telling him something (Jackal also looked in the direction the other had pointed in) and the two nodded in agreement. Niou was panicking. She hadn't planned on meeting them yet. The woman had been hidden from their view so far only because the tables had been arranged with partitions for privacy- hence the explanation for why they only saw the Gentleman and not her.

"…Masaharu…?"

"Erm…perhaps I should go out for some…air. Yeah, that's it! Air! Ok see you!"

It was just seconds later that she had gotten up and left the table. Yagyuu blinked in stunned surprise at being left behind by his girlfriend. He pondered about her weird actions until he saw why.

"Yagyuu! Fancy seeing you here! Alone?"

"Ah…long time no see, Yagyuu."

Oh…so it was because she saw the ex-doubles 2 pair coming their way, and them seeing her would have ruined the entirety of the plan that the two had so carefully constructed to carry out the coming weekend. The silverette had probably gone to hide outside.

"Yes. I missed the food here, and thought I should patronise today since I had the time."

"Mou…teachers like you are always so freaking busy! How the heck do you cope with all that work?"

"It must have been tough on you. Hope you are doing well."

"No worries. Teaching isn't really a very troublesome profession once you get used to it…"

The conversation went on for a little while longer before Marui said he needed to turn in early for his job the next day. Bidding the megane a farewell, the redhead dragged Jackal along with him and soon they were out of sight. Yagyuu sighed and called for the bill, making his way to the entrance after paying, in order to find his lover now that the coast was clear.

**xXEternallyXx**

The night air was cooling, with just the occasional breeze. Not cold enough to require a jacket, nor hot enough to sweat too much. The perfect weather.

It had been a really close call just now, and Niou was actually thanking the heavens that Marui had accidentally dropped his handphone under the table at the exact moment she had stood up to leave, the short distraction giving her more than enough time to dash out the door and go into temporary hiding. Yagyuu would understand. Now she was just simply waiting under the stars for him to come get her.

There were some outdoor tables too, and it was mostly families occupying those. Mothers trying to coddle crying infants, fathers clumsily attempting to mix the correct milk formula, grandmothers trying to feed stubborn young children their food. The sight made her feel so happy, and warm.

Those children were just too adorable…were they not?

The Trickster suddenly found herself thinking about her future with Yagyuu. There would be no issues with them getting together now, since their relationship seemed normal enough on the exterior. To many who didn't know them, they were simply a young, lovestruck couple who had a promising life ahead of them. They had long passed that time of highschool 'crushing-on-that-one-other-secretly', and now it was finally time that they settled down…no? Niou never expected her life to turn out this way, she had expected to live to the end of her days as a boy as it should have been.

But now that she thought about it…this did not seem too bad.

So…what would happen once they got married? Probably just remain that happy and doe-eyed couple that society perceived all newlyweds to be. And then what? They would probably continue their jobs…seeing as how both enjoyed the profession. Maybe…just maybe…they could also start a family…you know. A few children in their likeness, happily playing abou-

Ok. Stop right there. The train of thought had started to…invoke certain memories of a certain health class held on that certain day at that certain time. Our dear silverette had decided, that she didn't want to remember something that gave her nightmares on end when she first learnt about it. She hurriedly paused her thoughts.

Seeing as how her boyfriend might take quite a while in settling those people (the pair sneezed), Niou shrugged and thought it would be a good chance to take a toilet break. She turned and followed the sign showing the way to the toilet, completely unaware of some awestruck as well as some lecherous looks being directed at her…

The place Yagyuu had brought Niou to on their date was a pretty unique one. The eateries all around that area were arranged in a rough circle and shared one outhouse toilet- it was a building all on its own. It was something like a mini village. The concept itself was pretty interesting, but when night came…the path to the toilet became rather dark. But then who would Niou be if she was scared of a dark path? Of course she did not care. She hurriedly went there, did whatever she needed to do, and hurriedly tried to make her way back. This, was probably one of the smartest, yet stupidest plans of all time.

Niou could have blamed herself for not being alert. But the current situation at hand gave no time for that. Who the heck would start thinking about that kind of thing when they were currently being held against the wall by someone at least 2 times as big as them? No one would, of course. They would all be too busy trying to think of ways to escape. And that was precisely what she was doing now.

She had been walking back and quickening her steps after seeing that familiar head of dark purple hair. Apparently, luck had not taken her side and just one building before that restaurant, she had been cornered against the wall by some people who apparently called themselves gangsters. Or were they just plain stupid men? Niou stuggled wildly against the one holding onto her, flailing about and trying to find that window of opportunity which would spell her escape.

Then, it hit her.

No, she was no longer that teenage boy who could fight off guys more than half his size should he choose to. She was not a young adult male who could hold his own against at least one of these guys.

She was a young woman. She had none of that brute strength. There was no way in hell she could fight back and hope to escape even 2 steps before getting caught again.

"Sh…Shit…"

**xXEternallyXx**

Akaya was currently very occupied. In fact, so occupied, he did not even notice when his microwave beeped its annoyance for the second time after heating up his dinner. He did not even notice that his favourite TV show had just announced a marathon…

He was out in his garden, watching nature. Nature in the form of insects- stag beetles to be exact. It was an interesting situation, really. He had just been daydreaming…when he happened to catch sight of 2 beetles, apparently of different genders, nuzzling together. The adorable and rare sight kept his attention and he watched on, careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

Out of nowhere at that point, another beetle- presumably male, since it had on these awesome set of horns, came. The pathetic pincers of the previous male were nothing compared to the majestic babies of this newcomer. Then, it started. An all out war for the female, horn-fighting style.

Now we come back to Akaya, who was inwardly cheering on the smaller male beetle, since it somewhat reminded him of himself compared to the Troika during his schooldays. The sole female insect took to the side shyly as it watched on, wondering which one would be the one to win.

Not too long later, the winner was deicided. The smaller male beetle had won, having been able to flip his massive opponent over, proudly standing in the glory of all its victory. The other lay quite defeated on the ground, his great mouthpieces twitching weakly. No one ever said being big always made you win.

It was with a smirk as the man left his mini garden and went back into his house.

"WHAAAAAAT? –Insert your fav Japanese drama here- IS HAVING A MARATHON?"

**xXEternallyXx**

Niou couldn't scream, even if she wanted to. A huge and smelly hand was clamped over her mouth and it was getting harder to breathe, with all that effort she was using to struggle. It had tightened when she succeeded in kicking the one holding her in the shin using her high heels, causing him to yelp like a puppy. She eventually had to stop, out of weariness. Head dipped low, she simply stayed silent, knowing there was no way she could escape now…and no one would be able to hear her. A palm reached out to tilt her head up to face the owner.

"A feisty beauty you are…rare…and a virgin?"

Oh, how Niou just wanted to punch the living daylights out of everyone there and take pleasure in watching them writhe and squirm before her…but alas, it was not to be.

"We could enjoy her first, right?"

"Of course. That's one of the perks of this job."

Snapping to full attention, the silverette felt fear, really deep and genuine fear. It was eating her from inside out and she couldn't stop it. It was just shivering and plain obedience right now. Staying silent as the terrible excuse of a man in front of her smoothed his hand over her front, she was barely holding in the urge to do anything to stop him from continuing on with his molest. Niou knew full well what he could do if she tried to pull anything funny.

Tears, warm tears leaked out, as the hand was still clamped on her lips, ensuring she kept her silence. Why was she in this situation? Why did she have to go to the toilet at such a bad time? Why? Why? The woman could hear the sound of and feel her dress fabric being ripped…and let out a faint whimper and a sob.

Her hair blew into her face, and Niou's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden wind. The figure in front of her…standing tall and defensive…

"H-H-Hiroshi…"

The Trickster hadn't seen what had happened earlier, but the guy who had been holding her against the wall earlier had seemingly teleported approximately 10 metres to the front of her, lying in a heap on the ground. Shocked silence greeted the newcomer as the others mentally gauged their strength against Yagyuu. And all those nuts of a brain they had, turned up their chances of winning as being in the pitiful negatives.

A small sigh escaped the Gentleman's lips. He was still standing upright, a perfect pokerface expression etched into his mature features. He moved to stand protectively in front of Niou. Cocking his head a little to the side, he spoke as calm as the usual, shifting up his glasses a bit.

"Unspoken rules of our modern day society, do depict that we, as men, must hold all women in some form of respect. Be it that old woman needing help across the street, or perhaps that young girl who had lost her mother in the shopping mall…"

As he spoke the words, the gang shivered, having sensed that the aura of the man in front of them had started to rise to disturbing levels.

"And you, as fellow men, have very blatantly ignored and defied this golden rule."

His glasses flashed dangerously, his already 'disturbing' aura growing even bigger.

"You give us Japanese a bad name. Gentlemen do not hurt ladies. Gentlemen do not force themselves on ladies. And most importantly…"

Yagyuu looked behind him, at where Niou was still tiredly slumped on the floor, her tear-streaked face only too obvious for the world to see. His eyes hardened, harsh behind those thick lenses.

"…Gentleman do not…make ladies cry…"

His hands moved to remove his spectacles, and the man placed them right beside where Niou's right hand was. She would know what to do. Niou nodded, taking those into her hands protectively. Turning to face them, he smiled…SMILED.

"What do you say we have a man-to-man talk?"

All was silent after Yagyuu had near effortlessly taken the rowdy gang out. He walked over to where his lover was, holding out a hand. He gently pulled her up onto her feet and hugged her close. Niou helped replace those spectacles on his face, once more obscuring the megane's eyes from the world's view. The two let go some seconds later.

"Here, Masaharu."

Looking at the item in Yagyuu's hands, Niou could not help but smile a bit. It was just too funny. Why the heck did her boyfriend have a shawl with him? And how did he even manage to obtain one in the first place? Any questions she had were thrown to the wind as she willingly accepted it, wearing the article of clothing in such a way so that the rip in her dress would be covered up.

The walk home was slow, Yagyuu possessively holding Niou close, and the latter sticking to him like a magnet. It would have been romantic, had nothing of any sort happened earlier.

"I'm sorry for not asking this earlier Masaharu, since you looked so scared…but are you alright?"

The first question that came from Yagyuu, after the two had just reached home and taken off their shoes. Niou had recovered a little by now, and she nodded slowly.

"Yes…I'm…fine…"

The door of her room clicked shut as she hurriedly went in, and locked it.

"Its late, you should go to sleep."

Niou was startled out of her dazed state as Yagyuu had miraculously managed to unlock the door (well, it was HIS house…) and was now walking in. He had already washed up and all decked out in sleepwear. Niou too was decked out in her sleepwear (a much more modest one than the one before…), but she was far too disturbed to enter slumber just yet.

"Hiroshi, I-"

The silverette was shut up with a kiss, a very deep one. Yagyuu seemed much more dominant this time, as his tongue overlapped and fought with his lover's, with him eventually winning. There was much more light kissing before they finally broke apart for the air they so needed. However, it wasn't enough for the megane and he continued with light kisses along the length of Niou's neck, causing her to moan in pleasure. Those were sure to leave hickies later.

In some way or another, the session had somehow ended with the couple in an awkward position. Yagyuu was positioned right on top of Niou and that did not give her much space to move about in. He leaned down to whisper huskily into her ear.

"You…are mine…and no one…will ever…take you from me…"

Niou was completely dumbfounded at those words and just stayed still, closing her eyes as she felt her lover's face coming nearer, and nearer, until she could feel and hear his breath. She could feel all his jealousy and possessiveness in those few moments, and felt very apologetic…as well as a little scared…

A slight chuckle, before the man retreated, settling for nuzzling under the covers beside the woman. She was really blushing like mad, being in such close proximity with the one she loved no less. They were facing each other, and Yagyuu started the conversation.

"You have no idea how painful it was to find you in that state."

Niou watched as Yagyuu removed his glasses to place them on the bedside table before turning to face her again. Deep purple orbs filled with sadness stared back at her.

"I'm sorry. I…should have been more careful. I guess I just forgot that I was a mere girl. Forgot that I no longer had the strength to fight back…I was so…scared…"

Niou snuggled closer to Yagyuu, holding on to him as if he was going to disappear any moment. It had been so frightening, that experience just now. The silverette had never thought much of her looks and how she held herself in the eyes of men. It was a wake-up call, you could say, for her. She had to be more careful from now on lest she ends up in the same situation and…Yagyuu iis not there to save her the next time.

The man must have read her mind, because he only responded by holding her closer in the same way she was holding him. Yagyuu felt really guilty for letting Niou get hurt like that- even if only mentally.

"I'm sorry. I should have…I should have been more alert…"

A flick to the forehead, and a frown.

"…idiot. I should be the one saying that…"

Then out of the blue, his lover started to laugh lightly, earning a raised eyebrow from her boyfriend. She smiled amid some stray tears.

"Thanks for saving me. Just that when I start to think about how you started to confront them…"

The silverette had to hold a hand to her mouth to keep from bursting out into laughter. Yagyuu had acted so much like a Gentleman even during that tense situation, and it was so amusing now that they both thought about it. The Gentleman joined in the laughter too, only too glad the worst was over for the night.

"Hiro…sleep with me tonight?"

"Of course."

**xXEternallyXx**

"Jackal."

The Brazilian wondered what Marui had suddenly called his name for. The two were currently (once again) at Marui's house, and had been discussing about the redhead's schedule for the following day. The sudden address caught him off-guard.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't Yagyuu want to tell us he already had a girlfriend?"

Oh, so that was what he was thinking about. Jackal shrugged absently.

"Maybe he just didn't want to tell us yet."

"Don't think that's the case."

"*Sighs* Marui, they might just be friends out for dinner or something. You can't just assume things like that."

Marui casually lazed across his couch, looking up to the ceiling, smirking a little at his discovery earlier. So Yagyuu had finally moved on and found himself a girl. Damn, he beat him to it!

"Jackal…"

A little annoyed by now, the man looked up from where he was filling in something on the form.

"What is it?"

"You haven't ever been in love before…have you?"

At that, Jackal nearly face-faulted onto the table. Marui simply stayed silent, obviously oblivious (contradicting…) to his partner's reaction. He continued.

"You should have seen the look in his eyes as he stared at her…you can't exactly describe it in words…"

The ex-tennis player played with the ends of his hair, twirling it at the ends, which were still wet from his late shower. Silence hung, with only the sounds of Jackal scribbling filling the air.

"So that was why you purposely dropped your phone on the floor and made such a big deal out of it."

Marui slowly sat up into a cross-legged sitting position. He winked, showing a victory sign with his right hand- a habit he had not been able to shrug off since their middle-school days.

"Yep. And by the way, she was such a hottie!"

Jackal sighed for probably the hundredth time that night (he actually sighed many times before Marui had even started on the topic of Yagyuu getting a girlfriend), putting down his pen and deciding that it was best if he forced the redhead into bed since they had an early day the next day. The paperwork could wait since he could rush it in the morning.

"Marui…since you already know she is Yagyuu's, don't mess with anything."

The redhead scowled.

"I was joking! Geez, you can't take a joke…"

"Sleep…now. Its already near midnight."

"Yes yes, partner."

* * *

**Weird ending. I know. Couldn't think of anything better to write, so don't kill me.**

**I kind of made Yagyuu pretty heroic and all, plus the painfully cliche plot in the middle. I can totally see him doing that. But making Niou seem so weak in Hanako's body? Err...I admit I just might have overdone it a little...give me some pointers, will ya?**

**The supernatural explanation thingie I was talking about in the previous chapter will come in a few chapters, since I want to tie up some lose ends and set the scene properly before we move on to the gathering and the drama can begin. So pardon if this seemed like somewhat of a filler. I also want to thank Lulu-Prints-senpai for suggesting that I add in some naughty scenes on Niou's part to keep him in character! You rock! XDXD**

**Also, watch Vocaloid Rin's 'Kokoro' as well as her 'Paper Plane' on youtube. I realised about a month ago how much I was unconsciously influenced by these 2 songs in writing this story. Watch it please?**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon:)**


	6. To finally move on

**Heyhey Midori desu! XD Is everyone having a good time?**

**Obviously, since this is my story *is hit for her ego XD* Finally…an update after one of the busiest times in the year.**

**This is the first of my Update Challenge to be fulfilled. Requested by XTheTricksterX-senpai.**

**Trickster-senpai: Alpha Pair just like you requested! XDXD Sorry, I can't do the Kinky Pair part as I already have different plan for them both to be paired with other people:) Enjoy, yeah?**

**Right, that being said, let's get down to reading this pretty...short chapter. Damn.**

**Disclaimer: Jackal isn't bald! And my school uniform isn't bright green! Oh wait that one is true TT_TT...**

**Warning(s): Carried over, crack again, fluffiness, yaoi, OOCness if you see it that way...add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

"Genichirou…you're staring into space again."

Sanada snapped out of his daze and back to the world of the living when he found his lover snapping his fingers in front of his face. Yukimura looked amused, smiling back- silence translating into an unspoken question. The black-haired man inhaled, then sighed.

"Sorry. Just thinking about stuff again…even though I don't know what exactly about it is annoying…"

The man trailed away as the bluenette sitting to the opposite of him continued grinning an 'innocent' grin. He really wondered about what his significant other was thinking sometimes…and this time was no exception. Thus he sighed. Again.

"You think too much. Did you not agree to spend today with me? Those 'thoughts' are…awfully distracting…"

Yukimura smiled seductively, or as much as he could. Since it is a tad bit hard to imagine someone like him actually looking that way. His tone of voice was still innocent, but his intentions still disturbingly clear for the world to see as he leaned in closer. The bluenette fluttered those eyelids, knowing full well how to flaunt those long and feminine lashes that one of his age and gender wasn't exactly supposed to have. But we shall not talk about that for now. It was really at times like these that Sanada just wished he had not taken any leave at all. How cosy and inviting that office desk looked right about now.

Yukimura was leaning closer, and closer…

Having prepared himself for a chaste kiss, Sanada decided to give into his instincts, waiting, as his lips were met with…a beautiful…

…magazine.

Yep, bet that was one happy magazine:D

Blushing, or the closest he could get to it while still remaining Sanada, the man looked from behind the magazine (that he had unknowingly cheated on Yukimura with) to stare accusingly at said person. Said person simple acted as if absolutely nothing had happened in the past minutes (Sanada kissing someone…or…something else…was a serious crime!) He simply chuckled at the reaction he had caused, sapphire orbs filled with mirth. He pulled back the magazine from Sanada's face and flipped it open to a page with his design on it- the highlight of that particular vixen…er…magazine.

Yukimura sighed a little, as he continued adding more and more magazines containing his designs onto the tabletop. His lover did not even know what the colour of the tabletop was anymore…oh wait! He did not even remember it in the first place! He had left every aspect of their apartment's design to the bluette and thus had no need to. But that is something different altogether, so let us not dwell too much, on the Emperor, and his affinity to tabletop colours.

"…Gen, my newest design is due in a week."

Oh? The normally stoic man raised an eyebrow. Why was Yukimura telling him of all people his deadline? Sanada did not unnecessarily poke his nose into the other's job, and neither did the bluenette to him. So this was quite a surprise. Even more so considering who it was coming from. He just responded to the speaker with what he thought he should.

"Ah, I see. I'm sure it will be good coming from you, Seiichi."

At this point Yukimura shook his head, his locks helpfully keeping off his face as usual even with all that jostling.

"That's precisely the issue. Normally, I would have gotten everything done by now…but…"

He gestured towards a blatantly blank piece of paper next to him. Sanada nodded in understanding- from the job description on one of the papers littered messily around and keeping him from ever finding out the true colour of the table.

"…its…it…hit too close to home again…hasn't it?"

The bluette nodded in defeat, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"The only other time I felt like this…It was during that time a client asked for a silver-themed room…complete with emerald curtains. And now…I'm feeling it again…but it's an offer I can't really refuse right now…"

Yukimura looked up when he felt a familiar and large warm hand place itself over his own small and demure one, He felt a tear roll down his cheek, but felt no need to hide it from the one who would have discovered anyway. Sanada saw this and slowly led his bluenette lover back to their bedroom, knowing much better than to say anything that might trigger a sensitive nerve.

Leaving the now interior designer alone was the best solution at the moment. The ex-captain had been greatly affected by what happened all those years ago, even now. That particular…memory of when both were younger…was traumatising, to say the least. Their tennis team had never felt more complete than it did back then. Then, fate in all its cruel demeanour had to take it from there and tear that pure fulfilment and happiness apart. It was extremely unfair…but since when was life ever fair?

Trying to distract himself from such disturbing and haunting thoughts, Sanada went into the connecting room to their bedroom- Yukimura's art studio. It was where his lover literally locked himself in for the entire day whenever he was trying to think up a new design for his latest assignment. At the side, there was a modern study desk with a table lamp- a great area to sit at for thinking for hours at length. Even Sanada used it sometimes, and it was also a great place to view Yukimura painting from if he had nothing better to do. Then at the other side, a painting area. Empty canvasses of different sizes lay against each other at a certain corner, eagerly awaiting to be turned into masterpieces. Completed paintings were placed in their own corner.

The single easel stood just to the side of them, currently holding a partially completed painting. It currently showed an adorable kitten rolling about, playing with its ball of greyish-silver wool. It was doing so in all its crimson-brown fur coated glory, innocent and playful. A wonderful snapshot of a moment in the creature's imaginary life, frozen in time for all to admire the beauty of the moment.

Stowed away in a place where Yukimura thought only he knew and Sanada discovered, was a painting. Not just any painting, it was a portrait. It was originally intended as a gift- quite obviously for the one being brought to life within the still canvas. Sanada carefully picked it up, observing the tineiest details of it, down to every bit of paint that went into constructing the artwork.

To normal people, it was indeed a piece to behold. Every line seemingly drawn to perfection, every colour thoughtfully picked out from tens of others to fully capture the appearance of the subject, only serving to add to the sheer realism of it. Mischief was evident in those eyes, as they stared back at you from the coloured surface. But then…as you scrutinised the supposed masterpiece at a closer distance, you could actually see a number of imperfections.

Certain sections of the clothing and the face had a slightly different colour compared to the rest of their respective regions- only unnoticeable by the general audience up till now because it had been cleverly covered up by the artist. By one Yukimura Seiichi, albeit with a little hastiness and inconsistency while doing so. Sanada could just feel all that frustration and lingering sadness radiating from those imperfections, how anguished the artist must have felt as he forced himself to continue the art even though it hurt. It was also perhaps because even the bluette himself knew that these imperfections showed his true feelings, that he never showed it to anyone else other than Sanada. Even then he had been reluctant.

Niou had just been such a huge part of each of the regulars' lives, even if they refused to admit it out loud. Practice was never practice unless the Trickster was late for it due to detention or just plain truancy. It was never practice unless the silverette set off a chain of events involving an angry redhead, a humiliated junior, and one exasperated babysitter (or so as the team dubbed him). And…neither was it practice when the vice-captain didn't need to Tarundoru!slap Niou at least once during it. It felt so wrong and out of place, when he never got the chance to do that anymore…

"That's rude you know, Genichirou. Looking at it without my permission."

Sanada was jolted out of his personal and rather depressing thoughts by the sound of a certain bluenette's voice coming from the doorway to the room. Sure enough, Yukimura was standing there, leaning casually against the side. Yet, his expression was far from being just plain annoyed or angry- it was a little…upset. Did his lover even know that he still kept his captain's charisma up till this day? The black-haired man hung his head down guiltily, muttering an apology, then moving to comfort the other…when a hand told him to stop.

Yukimura started walking across the room, gently taking the portrait of Niou out of his lover's hands. Setting it carefully on the easel, the bluette picked up his palette and started mixing a few paints- something he should have done all those years ago, regardless of the situation. Having been replaced by the other piece, the kitten portrait leaned against the blank canvasses, forgotten for now. The man paused for a bit.

"I…wanna thank you, Gen. If I…if I hadn't seen the expression you had on as you looked at this picture, then I would not have found what I needed. What I had been looking for for so many years…"

Not bothering to justify his sentence, Yukimura immediately turned back to his paints as instincts and emotions followed his path of memories, continuing what he should never have left to begin with.

Swiftly, with deft expertise, colour flaws were covered up. The artist's gaze never wavered, unwilling to forgive himself if he procrastinated for another second. Yukimura even added extra and brighter colours to the clothes and hair, making the overall feel far more dramatic. If the Trickster had looked life-like before…he was now practically living and breathing. The Child of God had gotten much better at painting over the decade, and he was not afraid of flaunting his god-like skills on this piece. Not on this piece he was not.

Finishing off the last of the now officially completed masterpiece, Yukimura exhaled a breath he did not know he had been holding in all this while. The effeminate face lit up into a warm smile, its owner having been relieved of a burden he had been carrying for a long time now. He unknowingly let a chuckle escape his lips, Sanada joining him in that aspect.

"Seiichi."

"Hn?"

"Would you like to go out for lunch later? I did promise to spend the day with you…" _and its really good that you have finally found the peace that you needed all this while_…he added mentally.

Deep blue eyes lit up in happiness, the sight warming Sanada's heart in a way only Yukimura could.

"Well…I don't see why not."

The door to the studio closed as the two occupants left, curtains half-drawn to keep the strong morning rays from potentially damaging any of the fragile paintings in the room. The most recently completed piece of art was still sitting on the easel- looking almost completely, yet not so at ease there. The paint had dried not too long ago.

This…artwork. It was not meant to sit on the easel, and never would be. It was meant to be framed up beautifully and hung where it could be admired. If it had been hiding away from the world in that lone and undeserving corner long before, then…as of today…

…it stood there proud and tall, no more worry that it would ever be forgotten again...

**xXEternallyXx**

"Masaharu…"

Yagyuu stopped when he saw that Niou had fallen asleep- in a pose that didn't look too intentional, and rather uncomfortable at that. She was still holding her red pen, in the middle of marking some assignments. His gaze lingered over the 7 stacks of paper sitting beside her, all marked and already graded- a wonderful effort on her part to keep up with the syllabus and aid in her students' learning.

Still…it did not mean the silverette could tire herself out just like that.

Looking at the clock, the megane sighed a little and went to check what work he had left for the rest of the day- which was not supposed to be much, considering the crazy speed he could literally plough through those with. It was currently 3 in the afternoon, too late for lunch, yet too early for dinner. How awkward. Yagyuu reached over, and although he really didn't want to disturb his lover's slumber, he needed to get her up.

Shake, shake.

"Masaharu."

No movement.

Shake, shake, shake shake.

"Masaharu, wake up."

"Nnn…don't wanna…tired…"

The purple-haired man chuckled at the pure innocence of it all. But he still had to get the woman up so that they could both go out for something to eat, then continue whatever they had to do later.

Quite a chore it was, getting the Trickster to just get up and go wash up before they were to head out to a nearby café. It was only after Yagyuu had done the 'evil glinting thing' with his glasses and 'offered' to 'help' Niou bathe that the other blushed deeply and ran off to the bathroom. Yagyuu swore his ears still hurt from the shouts of "You pervert!" coming from a certain silverette just then. Well, look on the bright side, at least it worked.

"Hiroshi."

Yagyuu came out of his room while still buttoning up his shirt, surprised to see that Niou had gotten herself ready before him. And it was not just any quick and random get-up either. It was pretty and fashionable, an almost repeat of her outfit that fateful night. But of course, more conservative and suitable for a late afternoon outing. He sat down beside the woman on the sofa.

"Yes?"

"I…wanna know something. Do me a favour…please?"

"…it depends."

"Ok, just watch me while I try something. Then tell me what happens afterwards."

Without any further words to clearly explain what she was trying to do, the silverette suddenly slumped back onto the sofa- as if she had suddenly fallen asleep. It made Yagyuu raise an eyebrow. Just a couple of seconds later, she suddenly sat up again, but her eyes…they were soulless…

…and a brilliant reddish-brown.

Right at that moment the Trickster was looking like nothing more than a statue, and it was starting to worry the already concerned Gentleman even more. He tried snapping his fingers, but to no avail- his girlfriend was still sitting there unresponsive. And so, the megane took it upon himself to do a repeat of what he did to wake Niou up from her nap before. Shaking the living daylights out of the poor silverette.

It apparently worked, for a few seconds later Niou started blinking rapidly, her eyes fast changing back into that brilliant sea-green. She was also getting really dizzy from all that shaking, holding on to the purple-haired man's arms to assure that she was fine and for him to just stop shaking her or her head might just damn well fall off! She looked up at him, obviously less than happy that she had been treated like a faulty game console in the hands of an electronics retard. A supposed bespectacled electronics retard.

"Yagyuu Hiroshi! What. Was. The. Meaning. Of. That?"

The man only blushed and muttered a quick apology as he retracted his hands from her shoulders where they had been before, and sat down to the side of her again. Niou started speaking.

"Geez…I said to just observe me…not shake me like your life depended on it! Of course I already knew what I was doing."

"Pardon, Masaharu. You just suddenly became so still…and your eyes changed colour. What exactly happened just now?"

She smiled, fingering her hair.

"I'll explain soon."

**xXEternallyXx**

The world hated him.

That was what Sanada Genichirou was thinking as he walked beside Yukimura, annoyed at everything in general. Except Yukimura. No one could be annoyed at Yukimura. Because…let us face it people- he IS the Child of God. Any other way would be preposterous. Ahem.

Every single place everywhere in the vicinity just had to have such huge lunch crowds on today of all days. Oh, just for your info, we are talking about eating places. Not eating places, as in places that eat people- cuz that will be just plain creepy. No, we are talking about eating places as in places where people eat at. And as such the couple had to settle for buying foodstuffs from roadside stalls. Yukimura was amused though.

They were currently walking through the streets, with Sanada accompanying the other to just simply stroll about to get some inspiration for his new design. The bluenette seemed to be torn between a certain mental decision.

"Between purple and blue, Genichirou. Which would you choose?"

"Hm…"

Sanada considered the two options, looking at the surroundings to see if there was anything to help him with his answer. Well…it is general knowledge that he has no sense of fashion or art whatsoever. But it would not be appropriate to say beauty because he chose to fall in love with Yukimura. To doubt his sense of beauty when things came to YUKIMURA of all people…would once again be preposterous. Period.

It was then he happened to catch sight of a head of purple hair.

"…purple?"

"Purple? I was thinking blue…Gen?"

The bluette looked puzzled, taking a closer look at his lover's face and realising that he was staring off into a certain direction. Following his line of vision, Yukimura saw a sight that genuinely surprised him. It was something he thought would never happen in a million years. Wait, screw that. A few billeniums (I know it doesn't exist) would suffice to be a better term.

The subject of the pair's focus was in a café…in full view of anyone who was passing by at the moment.

Yagyuu was having lunch- with a girl. And from the looks of it, they were more than just casual friends, what with their hands touching almost every second they were there and the constant blush on the girl's face. Said man was also smiling, SMILING of all things to do, and it was by no means a fake one. Yukimura did not know whether to feel sad or happy at seeing something like that unfold before his very eyes. He could only sigh, and tug on Sanada's sleeve to get his companion's attention back.

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and then both continued walking. The bluenette man turned back for a couple of moments to sneak another glance, and saw Yagyuu being hit on the arm by the girl who was apparently embarrassed by something he had said. His lover could only scowl a little.

"Tarundoru."

Yukimura could only chuckle at his response.

"Maa maa, Gen. Life has to move on, even for him…doesn't it?"

Sanada only stole a look at the one beside him, then turned back to face forward, all the while saying nothing. He looked a little annoyed though, which was a pretty common emotion he displayed to those who were not close to him. He rarely had it on in front of Yukimura.

"I thought he would never love again…"

The bluette's tiny smile widened.

"Much as it was a surprise to the both of us, we saw it with our very own eyes. It must have been fate for the two."

More silence passed between the two of them, even with all the surrounding noise. The effeminate man looked down a little sadly.

"Masaharu…I wonder if he knows…"

**xXEternallyXx**

"You're sure you have it all planned out?"

"Yes…"

The megane could only watch as Niou busied herself with preparing her clothes for their team gathering, even though it was a few days away. Maybe it was her female instincts taking over or something. The two had thought up a little plan to carry out on the day they were to meet at Marui's house, and the Trickster planned out most of it, down to what she was going to say and how Yagyuu was going to respond to the others. Weird, but then who are we talking about? She picked up her weights and her hairband, then stopped for a couple of moments, sighing.

"I…miss Sei-nii. I miss everyone."

"I know."

Yagyuu rose from where he had been sitting all this while, sweeping the woman into his arms, hugging her from behind. His head lay on her shoulder, not that the silverette minded of course. They stayed like that for a little while, and the man finally parted with a small kiss on his girlfriend's cheek, making her blush really cutely.

"No one will ever forget you. None of us ever did. Don't even think about what might have happened."

He walked to the door, opening it and stepping out. He stopped attempting to close the door at the last second though. He looked back.

"Think…think about what you know happened."

With that, he clicked the door shut.

Niou was still a little stunned at Yagyuu's words, but recovered quickly enough. She smiled as she slowly took in the true meaning of what the other said. It was just like the megane to say something like that, just like him to make her think about what was right for her.

Rikkai. Rikkai's tennis regular team for that year would never ever change. Fate brought them together, but it would never tear them apart forever. Rikkai was all about winning. Rikkai was all about survival of the fittest. But what outsiders didn't know…was that they had all lost badly at something before. They were not afraid to change for the better, they were not afraid of anything that came their way. Simply because they were Rikkai, and nothing would or could stand in the absolute champions' way when they were a team. That was how it had been back then…and how it was going to be even now.

To even think that her teammates would forget her for even a second…it was something only an idiot would have done. Yagyuu did tell her did he not?

To think about what she knew happened, not what might have.

And yes, she did. She knew…she knew, that her team was waiting for her to return even until now, and they would never give up on that hope. Because…

...they were Rikkai Dai. And that made all the difference.

Finding assurance from her thoughts, the Trickster took out a mirror from her bag, looking at it, at herself. Of course she knew what her face looked like- she had had it for years. But right now she was not actually bothering with her looks. Lying down flat on her bag, she shut those orbs, then opened them again. This time, one shone a brilliant reddish-brown just like before.

"I've fulfilled my promise. You happy now?"

_Haha…well yes. Not a bad-looking guy if you ask me. Though it's not as if I did not already see him._

"…I hate you."

_Love you too~_

"…"

* * *

**Le gasp...we have a cliffhanger** **over here! God, I need to stop doing that to my readers...**

**Its the June Holidays people! 4 weeks of supposed no school and plenty of time on our hands...not. Projects and assignments make that impossible. I'm afraid, my readers, that I will be just as busy during the hols as I am now. But with good time management, I should be able to squeeze out something good for you guys.**

**The Update Challenge will continue as planned if nothing else pops up.**

**Next up is Fadey-san:) She has also requested for an update for Eternally! XDXD Its a double update deal now. Thank her if you see fit.**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon:)**


	7. 11 years ago, 11 years now

**Yahoi! Minna! How are you all doing? Great?**

**Sorry for the wait, as always. Holidays just come and go and school will be reopening in a week :( No time for my stories this round, what with all the activities and homework going on. Singapore takes pride in ensuring their students don't have time to play.**

**Anyways, much effort has been spent to ensure that this chapter is up to par and the same standard as the rest. Much as I tried to avoid it…this chapter may end with a cliffhanger. The supernatural explanation will come in the next chapter! *is hit by her impatient readers XD***

**This is the second of my Update Challenge to be fulfilled. Requested by Fadey-san.**

**Fadey-san: Hm, you didn't ask for anything in particular, and I'm really happy you trust in my abilities to churn out something good for your request :) Enjoy, yeah? The reunion begins…**

**Disclaimer: All the Tenimyu actors are genuinely gay for their respective yaoi pairings! Yeah, like that could happen…**

**Warnings: Carried over, crack (a little), yaoi, OOCness if you see it that way…add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

The man readied his lenses, checking that everything was in working order one last time. He made sure the stand was stable, that the camera would not fall over should he make any accidental movements. He looked from behind the device to sweep over the sight in front of him. The photographer nodded in approval at the efficiency with which the staff of this particular agency had assembled the set with- speed, aesthetic appeal, and professionalism.

He gave a thumbs-up to the two people on set, signalling that he was good to go. They nodded in acknowledgement as they got into position.

"Ok people. You have already received the assignment way before, but I feel a need to remind you. Today's theme is 'Blossoming Romance'. 'Mikaroses' has asked for the portrayal of a teenage romance in transition to adulthood."

The photographer then turned his attention back to the camera.

"That being said…lets get started."

Flashes, more flashes, plus the snapping sounds coming from the main camera as well as from the few that were taking from other angles. The two models answered each snap with the movement and synchronisation of their bodies, already knowing which way to move without a single thought. It was more or less a pretty smooth process.

"Please tilt your heads a little closer together…yes…that's it…"

"Hitome-san…please follow your partner's lead…right…"

"…Ok! Time for a set change. 15 minute break!"

With that last flash, the pair on set could finally relax, exhaling from the pent up tension. In modelling, there was no such thing as an effortless shoot. You either put in more effort, or you put in less. It had been a rather tiring one, this shoot, and for a very large and important client no less. No mistakes were allowed, and it proved to be rather stressful.

"Ano…good job, Marui-san. I still have lots to learn from you."

Marui put his bottle of mineral water down, turning around to regard the speaker, smiling as he did so.

"Thank you for your compliment, Hitome-san. You did quite well back there too."

The conversation continued as the two fellow models chatted on about personal stuff. From lifestyles to timetables, to preferences and love lives. Other staff hurried around as they moved and changed the sets. And while they looked completely at ease on the outside…it was far from so. Jackal could vouch for that.

Hitome was a pretty and cute girl who was no more than a year younger than Marui. Her smooth and silky mane of the softest cherry blossoms was dyed, apparently. But, she was doing a great job taking care of it. The tresses flowed beautifully down her slim back, flaunting what nature had blessed her with. Not to mention she had a body most girls would kill to have.

Right, back to the conversation, both were chatting comfortably. Hitome was also pretty new to the model business and looked up to Marui as somewhat of a teacher and a senior, as well as for…other reasons. Womanly charms on in full blast, she made skin contact whenever possible- but of course, Marui wasn't all that interested, so he simply batted her advances away each time.

Outside vision: Two models chatting away.

Jackal vision: Hand-to-hand combat while sitting down between said models.

The fiasco that remained unseen to the general audience continued until Hitome was told to get touch-ups for her faded make-up. Only then could Marui happily wave her off and go back to having a well deserved break. Really, women were annoying sometimes.

"…Kuwahara-san, was it?"

"Yes sir. I was told by the agency to hand the profiles of the models you are currently working with over to you as soon as they were printed. The agency apologises for the delay- we have been having issues with the printer lately."

The papers the photographer received were warm to the touch. Apparently they had been rushed from the printing room. The man nodded in acknowledgement and approval, flipping through a few pages.

"Oh, no trouble at all. Those two were wonderful and very cooperative. "

Taking that as his cue to leave, Jackal bowed respectfully and made his way over to where his ex-doubles partner was sitting, shutting his eyes for a bit. Marui felt a piece of paper smack against his face and he opened his eyes, annoyed. Oh, it was his new timetable.

"Had to arrange a lot for that day to be free. But…it isn't often that we have the team together like that."

Marui scanned over his timetable, very pleased with what he saw, and was grinning the whole way.

"Arigatou, Jackal. Knew I could trust you to take care of this."

Jackal could only sigh. Why had he agreed to become Marui's manager again? Oh right, it was because none of the other managers could or would handle Marui and he needed a job at that time. Figures. No sane person would volunteer to take care of a professional model who consumed sweets like rice, the fact only serving to give the managers heart attacks as they feared for his health and their jobs. In the end…yep. He ended up being the one to 'take care' of the redhead.

"About…Hitome-san. Are you serious about her? Or are you just playing around?"

Marui's grin turned into a scowl at this point and he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He then turned to check that said person wasn't in the nearby vicinity. He exhaled in sheer relief.

"That woman…is stubborn. I've told her like what? A hundred times that I'm not interested and she still continues flinging herself at me!"

"Then catch her."

"I don't wanna!"

**xXEternallyXx**

"Here are the completed reports. I'll have the rest of the assignments done by next week."

The superior checked over the two that he had just been handed and nodded, showing that he was more or less satisfied with their quality. He continued reading, then stopped suddenly, looking up. This one in front of him was one of the agency's star journalists, by the way.

"Arigatou, Kirihara-kun. As per usual, your reports are top-notch."

Said person bowed respectfully, then stood up again.

"Hai, arigatou."

"…You have a gathering this weekend right?"

"…"

The man laughed at Kirihara, having seen his surprised expression. Then he shook his head, sighing.

"News gets around like wildfire around here. Enjoy it, alright?"

With a nod, Akaya was off. He had knocked off early for the day and now had the rest of the hours to himself, plus, a nap sounded pretty good. On some days, all he had to do was simply to go watch those matches he had been assigned to write on. Then on other days, he had to rush a lot of assignments which required him to put on all-nighters. The ones he had just handed up were an example of the latter, which was why he wanted to go home and take a well needed rest.

Entering the door of his home, he locked the door and shrugged off the extra articles of clothing that weren't necessary. Akaya slumped in the sofa, willing himself to just nod off…but failing to do so. He had some thoughts that stubbornly refused to go away.

"A gathering…how long has it been since the last one…?"

He turned over.

Akaya still remembered how the last one had ended. It really…had not been a good idea to have a gathering so soon after Niou had gone. Everyone was still so weak emotionally then, even if they refused to show it. The blatant absence of the one that they had held so dear in their hearts did not help matters either, only serving to make the pain worse. That time was the one time the regulars had seen Yagyuu even close to losing his temper. His aura at that time emanated so horribly and threateningly, at least a hundred times more scary and paralyzing than Yukimura's ever was even in full blast.

The man didn't need to remember the details. It wasn't particularly anyone's fault that things turned out that way. Life was stupid, in a sense. To think that Yukimura had once told them what he saw Rikkai as, that one time when he was still hospitalised.

"Shikaku wa nai (No weaknesses)."

His eyes held no hesitation, resolve decorating them in a way only possible for Rikkai's captain.

That simple phrase was one each and every regular had dutifully kept in mind, never feeling satisfied if they still had weaknesses not pummelled into the dust. It was a continuous battle against oneself, as well as others, for that crown. Then again…there was never a crown to begin with- Rikkai's tennis team never had a crown to begin with. What made them the Kings, the undefeated champions…was but a mere reason.

What they had as their goal, what they continuously searched for, what they sought after even if it required sacrifices…and what they wanted their cohort at their junior high to remember for now and forever. It was simply the want to win, the drive to win. Sure, every team wanted to win, they wanted to stand at the top, who would not? But did any other team have their fighting spirit? Did any other team willingly sacrifice as much as they did? Did any other team seek out and go after that first place title like they did?

The crown King Rikkai wore was not made of gold, nor platinum like many believed. It was made of passion, sacrifices, the need to win, the want to win, and their progress as a team. King Rikkai would not have, or wear their crown if Yukimura was not there at the epitome, Sanada and Yanagi faithfully flanking his sides, and the rest of the team standing just behind them. A team could not be a team if any member was missing, and while it may not be true physically…it was true, psychologically.

The youngest member of the ex-Rikkai tennis team shut his eyes, all desire to go to sleep forgotten, only concentrating on his thoughts.

They had accomplished what they had wanted. The champion's title for 3 years running. Back then when even reaching out for a spot in the Nationals had been…a mere mirage, a distant dream, a horribly tempting illusion. Back when everything was normal, when 1st years did nothing but pick up balls, and 3rd years pushed them around. The Troika had entered Rikkai's tennis team with none of that in mind, because they had a goal. One after another, 3rd years fell to the extreme influence and purity of the power Yukimura held, a power far superior to them combined. All Sanada and Yanagi had to do was to stand by the side and wait, already knowing that this revolution would happen.

It was an unspoken promise, the first one the Troika ever had.

It was a cue to step up then, for the 1st years, who had once thought that even getting recognition in a club like this was but an unreachable goal. Yanagi, with his sharp observational skills, singled out potentials and Yukimura demanded that they show him what they were made of. And hey, he thought he should not have felt the least bit surprised when each of those members gave identical smirks, all too ready to prove themselves worthy of that recognition they had so wanted.

Time came, time went. Those once short and scrawny little freshmen, had now grown to be tall, lean, and well-trained youths.

The last shot, the last lap, the last burst of speed, all the way to the finishing line. Yanagi had said so, Sanada had said so. Yukimura did not even need to, his gaze spoke volumes. It spoke volumes…to the other 4 members of the regular team. Of which one was no longer there.

"Win…for its what we have been fighting for so far."

The unmatched passion was indeed fearful. Rikkai Dai Fuzoku was in a class all on their own, with not a single team even being able to grasp at their feet. It was with this that they succeeded in winning that 3rd consecutive championship title, what they had hungered for, thirsted for, for so long. They smiled, yes, the smile of the champions, as they graciously accepted the flag and the trophy, which marked their legacy. The runner-ups congratulated them, and all seemed well, with promises of meeting once again the following year. That they had better watch out for that crown might just slip from their hands… right into the waiting ones of a rival team.

Yukimura had laughed. To steal a crown that never existed in the first place…it was absurd.

Sanada had wondered at that time. Their captain had gone into the locker room to change ahead of them, and should have come out by the time they even started making their way there. Walking just a couple of steps ahead of the team, he pushed the door open, greeted with a sight that he did not know how to comprehend…nor react to.

The bluenette…he was sitting in the corner of the room, the very corner, still clad in his tennis uniform. The trophy and plate had been carelessly tossed onto the long bench. The proud green headband that the captain had been so fond of…it had suffered the same fate. Yukimura had his head bowed low, refusing to acknowledge that he was no longer alone in the locker room.

"Seiichi-"

Yanagi was interrupted, by a sob. His eyes snapped open in both surprise and shock as the Child of God finally tilted up his head to meet his gaze, as well as everybody else's. There were very obvious tear streaks, sapphire orbs sparkling…in a not so good way. Yukimura Seiichi, he was Rikkai's captain. He was the one who led the team to where they were now. He was the one…

…looking so vulnerable and weak at the moment, in full view of his teammates.

Akaya was the first one to shatter his mask, finally giving in as tears started dripping down, and he joined his captain in his expression of sadness and anguish. The remaining 5 members stood around awkwardly for a while, before Yanagi thought it a suitable time to reveal those brown eyes, as well as the weakness that no one knew he had. He too joined in the crying, hugging on to both his captain and their lone sophomore.

It did not take long before Marui and Jackal too started to leak…having had their resolve crumbled to pieces by the heartbreaking sight before them. No one knew about Yagyuu, and it was not until he shakily removed his glasses to wipe them as well as his eyes that the team realised he had been holding it in the whole time too. Sobs echoed around the room, and no words needed to be exchanged for all to know…why their weakness currently showed. Why no one was feeling brave at the moment.

Sanada had been facing away from all of them at that time, and he must have known then, how everyone was wordlessly waiting for him to…join them. The trademark black cap that had been tilted down at a concealing angle this whole time, was thrown just as carelessly as Yukimura's headband onto the bench.

This victory was not like the previous two. The previous ones had been full of accomplishment, full of happiness, full of pride…as the 8 members of Rikkai's undefeatable team. It was so empty, so horribly empty and hollow. There was a void that never would, or could be filled by anyone other than Niou Masaharu, the Trickster of the courts, Rikkai's illusionist. He was mysterious- their mysterious Trickster.

And it was then...that…

…everyone realised 2 things.

Victories were not necessarily happy events, or a call for celebration. For the very first time, Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi, Yagyuu, Jackal, Marui and Akaya…felt nothing. Nothing at the 3rd consecutive victory that should have been the most climatic, the most glorious of all. It was the one that was meant to show that it was possible, possible to stand at the top. Possible to create a psychological mindset so powerful even Seigaku and Hyotei collapsed from it.

A victory...yet not one at the same time.

The second thing everyone realised, was something no one thought would happen, but no one cared at that point in time. They even hit themselves inwardly for thinking such of their vice-captain. It was on this day, at that time, that they realised…

…even the Emperor had emotions.

Droplets of moisture fell freely. In fact, freely over everyone's faces. Yukimura huddled the group even closer together than they already were, willing to allow this moment of weakness to show, a sign that this victory would never be complete. The sounds had long stopped, and there was only silence.

No…Rikkai was not crying…they were not. It was just the rain…the rain that had somehow managed to miraculously fall indoors. That was it, it was the rain…

All of it was in the past, a mere little memory that was worth remembering for time to come. Akaya grunted unhappily as he realised that he had been spending the whole 2 hours of his intended naptime thinking about useless thoughts. Might as well get up, then maybe try to sleep again at night.

"Niou-senpai…"

The black-haired man clutched his cushion a little tighter.

"This gathering…might just be different…"

**xXEternallyXx**

The brunette was typing away at his computer, in the middle of a report that had a tight deadline. 3 more incomplete ones lay to the right of him, and about 7 completed ones to the left of him. The poor study desk was quite…crowded to say the least. Not that the man cared much anyways- he was far too absorbed in his report typing to do so.

Amazing thing was…he had not needed to use the 'backspace' key for the past half an hour. It was a perfect report for about 10 pages straight. Said man smirked.

There was a reason he was Yanagi Renji, the one who played the near ultimate Data Tennis during Rikkai's reign all those years ago. While he no longer pursued tennis like he did back then, he still put his brilliant thinking power to great use. His job required much of it- it was a never-ending job after all, and it required him to constantly seek new heights and alternatives. It was a fitting job for one such as himself.

An intellectually gifted, or so he had been told. Yanagi had taken mild pleasure in watching his professors squirm and fume with silent rage and jealousy whenever he pointed out minor mistakes of theirs during lectures. It was truly amusing, the sight. Soon after that he graduated, and stuck to his job…which he unexpectedly enjoyed. Life was full of unexpected windows of opportunities after all.

"Marui has made a good choice this round, calling for a gathering…"

No mistakes yet in the document. A miracle, was it not? Considering he is thinking such off-topic thoughts like these…

"Everyone has had time to heal, or at least bring themselves back up. Data shall never be completely accurate, even if I am the one utilising it."

Still typing noisily. The document sure was a long one.

"A long time it has been too…since I last used the Data. The tennis that I constructed completely from scratch. There is a 70% chance…that something extremely unexpected will happen this round. Hopefully, it won't be something bad."

Having completed his thoughts (is that even possible?), the brunette opened his eyes just a tad bit to check over that document that he had oh so coincidently completed at the same time. He frowned at the minor typos that he had made in the last few paragraphs, knowing all too well that they could have been avoided.

He sighed.

"Hm…there goes my 'backspace-free' record…"

**xXEternallyXx**

The living room was still warm. The coolness of the night air had not yet set in, and the fact that not all the windows were fully opened weren't helping. Both occupants of the house were currently upstairs in their respective rooms, going about their last activities before retiring to bed.

Sanada removed the glasses that he only used when reading under dim light. It was late, really. Some minutes till midnight, and they still had a gathering to prepare for and go to tomorrow. The man smiled a little at the thought of meeting the old Rikkai gang after a few years. It may not have been that long, but it still felt like distance had built up, as it always did even though the regulars contacted each other regularly, be it through voice messages, phone calls, or emails.

The desk lamp was turned off, and the book that he had been reading for the past hour shut. Sanada's attention was directed to the illumination in the connecting room, a sign that his lover had not yet gone to sleep.

He peeped in at the door which had been opened just a crack, heart softened by the sight.

The bluette was reaching out, smoothing those slender fingers over the painting that he treasured most. He had said before, that the one he liked most was the one with the kitten…but only he and his lover knew the truth. Yukimura had on this gentle look in his eyes, sad with a dash of concern, as well as endearing. He had loved and cared for his godbrother much more than he led on- and his death had torn him apart in ways that would never allow for a complete recovery. To have found the will to complete the portrait…it had been a start. That he had finally put down a burden, that he had healed a wound.

Opening a cupboard, Yukimura looked thoughtful. His eyes travelled over the contents of a certain shelf, and that feminine face lit up in a smile once he had located what he had been looking for. He pulled out the wrapping paper.

His craftsmanship was a sight to behold. People knew he painted, people knew he designed. But not many knew he took an interest in paper art as well. The bluette had wrapped up the painting in the most luminous and mysterious wrapper that he had on hand. A midnight blue with silver bits here and there, a mysterious combination indeed.

Taking up a bag that had been lying at his side the entire time, he placed the present into it. Gaze shifting to his kitten portrait, which had by now been completed, he smiled. Yukimura picked it up and placed it into the bag as well.

"Sanada Genichirou. Perhaps you didn't realise, but a few seconds more and I would have called the police- telling them that you were stripping me with your eyes."

Said man jumped back, quite literally this time. Once again, he had been so absorbed in staring at his lover that he had not noticed that he had been noticed (pardon the lame repetition). Yukimura could only shake his head, putting a finger to Sanada's lips, purring seductively.

The door to their bedroom shut with a click, then the sound of a lock.

**xXEternallyXx**

"You look beautiful, Masaharu. Don't fret anymore."

Yagyuu snaked his arms around his girlfriend, whispering huskily into her ear. The result was a blushing lover and a sore cheek.

"Che, trying to flirt so early in the day."

Niou was once again staring at the full-length mirror, frowning at what seemed like a very dazzling ensemble. To Yagyuu that is. No man will ever be able to completely understand what a woman is thinking, even if said woman was once his doubles partner and now lover.

Yep, it was the power of the double X chromosomes.

Anyway, everything had been done beforehand and their plan was ready to go. The pair had really meticulously planned out today, and it would work. The silverette once again picked up her old hair tie, attempting to tie her hair back into that old hairstyle once again, despite having tried and failed so many times previously. Yagyuu sighed, taking over the duty of doing Niou's hair, much to the puzzlement of said woman.

Artistic it was, a way to put it. The megane may as well have taken the hairdressing course during University. Those silver locks had been done in the exact way the Trickster had wanted. She beamed happily.

"Shall we be moving along then?"

Marui definitely snagged a good job. His apartment spoke pretty much everything about his paycheck. The regulars had each thought more or less the same thoughts when they walked up the small path leading up to the house, in awe of its beauty, and the care that went into the design of its exterior. The interior too, when they entered the house.

Akaya had arrived first, about an hour earlier, simply because he was bored, and that he did not have a single idea what to bring for his share of the potluck. The redheaded host only sighed at his naivety and told him about a good restaurant he knew, and that his junior could go there to order something he fancied. The younger man had snapped his fingers in realization and thanked Marui before dashing out of the house. It made said guy facepalm.

Next was Jackal, and it was not much of a surprise that he was early. The Brazilian was not known to be a tardy one even in his school days and that had not changed a single bit even now. He was surprised to hear that their junior had been early though, and he then joined in the last minute preparations.

Then came 3. The Troika of course. Yanagi with Yukimura and Sanada just a few steps behind, each holding their food and a bag with their belongings. Marui had smiled and welcomed them in, quite impressed that they had somehow managed to come in just seconds before the clock ticked to mark that their meeting time was officially over. He had already placed the refreshments on the table, joining the chatter of the old group once he was done in the kitchen.

It was a happy occasion.

"How have you been, Akaya? We haven't heard from you for a while."

"Ah, buchou! I'm sorry for losing contact…I've been taking on more assignments and its been busy…"

"Did I hear right? Akaya and the words 'busy' and 'assignments' in the same sentence?"

"…shut up, Marui-senpai…"

"I see that everything has been going well so far. Seiichi, I presume your love life with Genichirou has been…satisfactory?"

"TARUNDORU! What kind of a question is that, Yanagi?"

"Now now, Genichirou…he didn't really mean it. But just in case you did, Yanagi, then yes, it has been…exciting…"

"S-Seiichi…"

"Hn?"

"T-Tarundoru…"

Conversations continued on and soon about 15 minutes had passed. It was starting to become obvious how one member of the old team was not yet present. It was only when Marui made a casual remark about it that all talking ceased. It was unlike the Gentleman to be late for something like this, let alone not turning up or making a call beforehand.

"Yagyuu sure is late…"

Yukimura smiled.

"Don't worry everyone, he will be here. He has replied saying that he would be joining us…"

The bluenette then hit his palm in realization.

"…and also that he will be bringing a friend along!"

Then, as if on cue to that statement, the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of another visitor. And hopefully the expected one this time round. Marui all but ran to look through the peephole, whistling softly as he did so, the sight behind the door pretty interesting. It was a totem pole style formation at the doorway to the living room, Sanada's head at the top, Yukimura below him followed by Yanagi, Jackal, then Akaya. The group was quick to withdraw though, the moment they heard the sound of the door opening.

"Yagyuu! So you were coming today…"

"I'm really sorry, Marui-kun, we were held up a little by the traffic."

Hm…'we'?

"Ah…nice to meet you…Marui-san…"

And was that…a girl's voice?

There was only silence as the main door to Marui's house clicked shut and the sound of footsteps padded along the corridor, Marui's excited chatter and questions part of the noise as well. It was a slightly tense moment for the group in the living room. They had not seen Yagyuu in years…was he ok? And who was this visitor, who was most likely a girl?

Akaya gasped as the newcomers rounded into the doorway.

**xXEternallyXx**

Yagyuu still looked the same as ever. Opaque glasses that showed nothing of his eyes, that neat purple hair which was never out of place no matter what. Those clothes that never looked messy, and of course, that polite and gentlemanly demeanour that had earned him his nickname on the courts. Sure, the team was happy to see the member that they had not seen for the longest time, but their attention at the moment was currently being focused on the one beside him.

She was one really beautiful woman.

Just for this day, Hanako (Niou) had dusted on light make-up and dressed in a stylish long-sleeved blouse, with a matching knee-length skirt. A hairband was in place to hold her fringe back as well.

All in all, she looked stunning, even with her conservative choice of clothing.

It was a pretty automatic reaction, considering that everyone else other than the said person possessed a Y chromosome. The silver beauty that the megane had brought with him, was by far the prettiest one of the opposite gender than any of them had ever met in their lives. That smooth sliver curtain that was currently in a low ponytail, while bright, shown softly. A face that showed a demure character and gave off a gentle vibe. Eyes of the brightest sea-green, ones that seemed to tell all the others that this being would not hurt a fly.

She bowed.

"H-Hanako…Masahira…desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

The silence that had befallen upon them lifted immediately following that shy introduction by Hanako. Everyone immediately fumbled around for words to say to their new guest and only Marui, Yanagi and Yukimura kept calm enough to speak properly. The redhead smiled after finding his words, reaching out a hand and introducing himself.

"Marui Bunta, its great to meet you, beautiful."

Hanako only nodded, a faint hint of a blush decorating her delicate features with the model's light flirting.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Hanako-san. I'm Yukimura Seiichi."

Hanako only nodded silently again, smiling shyly.

Introductions went round and soon conversations settled in once more, allowing for a comfortable atmosphere to be set even with the addition of a new guest that none of them knew much about. The talk was mostly about work, and how everyone was getting along. The topics never really ran out, and one only stopped talking to take a sip of their drink.

Hanako was acting precisely like she did when she had first 'reunited' with Yagyuu. Shy and pleasant. Akaya and Marui even attempted to flirt with her (Niou suddenly had this urge to beat the living daylights out of them) simply just to see if Yagyuu would respond. Of course he did not. But then again, no one knew if he was thinking of homicidal thoughts horrible enough to make Sanada cry.

"Yukimura-kun, Marui-kun. I hope I have not inconvenienced any of you by bringing a guest."

"Not at all, Yagyuu. You did tell us in advance."

Yagyuu looked to the one sitting beside him, noting how she seemed really impatient, of which the reason was known to him. They had come with a plan in mind, a plan to tell everyone that their Trickster was back. Nothing was to stand in their way today, and so the silverette was just waiting and waiting for the chance to finally break the mask she had been wearing.

When there was finally a break in the conversation, a little gap while everyone took a breather or yet another sip of their drinks, Hanako pounced on the chance. It was now or never, and she needed to get the conversation going the way she wanted it to. It might not be pleasant, but it had to be done.

"Yukimura-san."

"Yes, Hanako-san?"

"I…I heard about your teammate…Niou. Was he a…nice person?"

Shocked and horrified silence met that question. Time in the room had seemingly stopped and froze everything in its tracks. That question had hit a very sensitive issue, and that left the regulars gaping like goldfishes awaiting dinner, completely speechless. Even Hanako herself had not expected such a response towards the question and immediately rushed to look like she had just slipped.

"Oh my god…I-I-I'm so…"

No one moved.

"Its ok."

All heads turned to regard Yagyuu, puzzled beyond reason. In those past casual meet-ups and gatherings before this, the mere mention of the Trickster would get him all emotional and frustrated. It had been an emotional burden that weighed down harder on him than most of them. Yet, right now, he had just dismissed it as something trivial and nothing worth taking note of. Was it good that he had gotten over what happened…or was it bad that he no longer felt so strongly about it…?

"Oh, Hira. I believe you said a little earlier that you had something to show Yukimura-kun?"

It was the megane's voice that drew the team out of their conflicting thoughts for the moment.

_Ok…here we go. Let your plan fall into place, Masaharu, and don't disappoint me."_

"Oh yes, Yukimura-san. I heard from Hiroshi that you like poetry, am I right?"

_Let this plan start…follow my lead…_

"Why yes, Hanako-san, you did hear right. I absolutely adore those verses filled with emotion and imagery."

While Yukimura had said that kindly in that kind way only he could, his smile was stiff. His entire expression was somewhat stiff and forced, with Sanada being the only other to know the reason. His lover was still sceptical about this woman, and how she had managed to win over Yagyuu so easily, and make him forget Niou just like that. It was just the ex-captain's way of showing his stoic boyfriend that he still did not quite like Hanako.

"Actually, I composed one by myself. Do you think…I could recite it to you and hear your thoughts on it? I don't think its very good…"

Yukimura made a sign with his hand, telling Hanako that she was free to proceed. He nodded.

"I don't see why not, please go ahead."

_Its now or never!_

"_**Your sapphire-tinted hair flutters in the wind**_

_**Your domineering expression, it never wavers**_

_**Your soft side that you show to me**_

_**Your proof that I am precious"**_

The bluette's eyes were open at this point- he was listening intently, in full wonder at the subtle verses being read out in that melodious voice. His smile was still there, just a tad smaller. Hanako's sharp eyes took note of it and she stood up to recite the next part.

"_**My apologies, that I had been so irresponsible**_

_**My dreams I shared with everyone, gone**_

_**My mind, my body, getting weaker by day**_

_**My promises, shattered hopelessly to pieces"**_

Yukimura could not believe it. This…was a dream. It had to be a dream. It just wasn't possible that he was hearing what he was hearing right this instant. Those words were just so creepily invoking his memories, ones that he would rather not experience again. It was funny how he could feel like that from just thispoem, but he did. All he could do was to detach himself from Sanada and pay as much attention as he could to the woman. This very mysterious, very curious, and very pretty woman.

"_**Your heart, you know who it belongs to**_

_**Your silent suffering, make it no more**_

_**Your crush, go on, tell it to him**_

_**Your happiness, let it last, last"**_

The Child of God had unknowingly stood up by now, towering a little over Hanako with his tall height. He was fighting to keep all his emotions under control, to not let anything show. No, the bluenette did not want to believe it, he did not want to believe anything! But…the evidence was right in front of him, so obvious, even a fool would have believed it. This…this…

"_**I've had my happy times with everyone**_

_**I've been showered with their care**_

_**I've come…to only have one regret left…"**_

As Hanako…no, Niou, recited the last paragraph, she had proceeded to walk a step for every two words she spoke. Towards Yukimura. Yes…this had worked. He had remembered, remembered all too well, remembered what had been in that last letter, that last note. Those deep blue orbs were glistening.

Niou walked until she was mere centimetres away from the former Rikkai tennis captain, speaking the final line, all the while making sure she had the man's gaze. This would work, this would bring everything together…

"_**The regret…that I would no longer be there…"**_

It was once more, a shocked silence as the bluenette could take it no longer and literally flung himself onto Hanako, taking her into his arms. He was also sobbing like never before, tears trailing down the effeminate cheeks. Hanako…Niou, hugged him back, enjoying what she had been missing for the past 11 years. The 11 years in which she lived with none of what she had now.

Sanada was jealous of course, but there must have been a reason his lover acted that way, and so he stayed still, not doing anything. It was still tense, the atmosphere, and it felt like they had hugged for a very, very long while.

Niou's gaze softened, burying her head deeper into her older godbrother's shirt.

"I've kept my promise, Sei-nii! I have returned, I have come back!"

* * *

**And in case you guys were wondering, yes, the last sentence is spoken out loud by our one and only Trickster :) It's the climax of the reunion, which I have promised previously.**

**Damn this chapter is long…lemme count for a bit…hm…about 6340 words not counting A/Ns! OMG a new record! XD**

**P.S I wrote that poem in about 15 minutes...*is hit for showing off XD***

**The Update Challenge will continue as planned if nothing else pops up. **

**Next up is ChitoseSenri-senpai:) She has requested for an update for Polling Results! XDXD We all love the humor, people. Do take some time to check out that fic of mine, a little attempt at humor.**

**A little note though, its gonna get busy starting next term where I live and updates may be rare, even though there is the slot list to go by…**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**


	8. Who is Hanako Masahira?

**Heyhey^^ Its Midori, and you know…it really has been a whil- *is shot XD***

**Anyways, sorry for the long hiatus and stuff. Had to study for the Term 3 exams and well, it kind of paid off…so here I am with a chapter that I have put so much into.**

**I also got caught into the Role-Playing whirlwind on Facebook:P RP really is fun if you do it right, and of course, as with any skill at all there are the good and the bad^^" Been admin-ing near 5 pages all as a Rikkai Dai member (not the same one). You'll be surprised at which character I specialize in…you can always guess though~ **

**Yeah, the longish 'supernatural explanation' I promised since the story started. This chapter would be one to remember:)**

**Ohoh and I only had the time to do the story cuz it's the Sept Hols where I am and I'm choosing to ignore my homewo- *is shot XD***

**Disclaimer: I have Rikkai Dai's jersey. Sue me.**

**Warnings: Carried over, crack (tons), yaoi, OOCness if you see it that way, and Hanako being herself XD…add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then:)**

* * *

It was puzzling, weird. A whole ton of emotions all thrown in together and then placed in the blender and blended at full speed. The result being a scrambled and uniform mass that was indistinguishable from its previous components. Such was the feeling all the ex-Rikkai regulars were feeling right about now.

_"I've kept my promise, Sei-nii! I have returned, I have come back!"_

What the heck? Sei-nii? No one called Yukimura that…no one since…no…

Akaya was pretty much annoyed at this woman who had just suddenly barged into their lives like that, acting all close and cuddly with his senpais, and now hugging his former captain? Was it not a little too much? But it was Yukimura who hugged her first and he was currently…crying?

The bluenette stood up, wiping some of his stray tears away, then showing the widest smile anyone had seen since…well, so many years back. The smile that had all but disappeared when a certain person had disappeared from their lives as well. Sure he smiled, everyone said. But that expression wasn't a smile. It was a mere action of his facial muscles to twitch the sides of his face into a shape reminiscent of a crescent moon. That was not a smile. It was an empty shell of the real thing.

And this right over here…his smile. It was back.

"I-I…don't know what to say…I…how…"

Hanako was shedding some tears of her own too, and she smiled as well. A very beautiful one, Yagyuu observed. She reached out to touch his face.

"Then…then don't say anything. I'm back, and that's all there is to it, Sei-nii."

Once more, Yukimura had enveloped her into a tight hug, and finally, Akaya could take it no longer.

"Who the heck are you to hug my buchou? He has a boyfriend in case you didn't know!"

The room suddenly became so quiet, it was almost devoid of life. Everyone had turned to look at him first, then at the pair in the middle of the room questioningly. Well, it was understandable, considering that everything looked like some kind of old flame reunion of a sort. Surprisingly, the effeminate man just shook his head, sighing in an exaggerated kind of way, and Hanako took on a smirking expression.

"Bakaya…watch that big mouth of yours. Really…you haven't changed."

Jackal was probably the first to have his mouth left gaping open, his cup slipping from his hand onto the floor…before promptly fainting on the spot. The team only took one single look at him before turning their attention back to Hanako and Yukimura, only too puzzled at their behaviour, as well as that eerily familiar way of speaking Hanako used.

"…N…N-Niou…senpai? Is that you…Niou-senpai?"

The youngest man had his eyes big in wonder, seemingly not having realised what had just come out of his mouth. The others were also too preoccupied to notice.

Akaya was asking this so desperately. This could not be true. Not a single bit. There was no possible way a dead person could come alive again. But those words had left his mouth long before his mind had time to process them. Even he felt embarrassed having let slip a statement like that.

Yukimura smiled warmly, laughing in a way that he had not done in a while, and the puzzle pieces finally clicked into place in everyone's head. This was Rikkai, and in Rikkai, rules were only rules if everyone agreed to follow them, else they had no purpose. This rule stated that they were to believe what had happened just seconds ago, and the team gladly oblidged. Yanagi smiled. Marui smiled. Yagyuu smiled. And Sanada…

…he smiled too.

What happened next was completely unpredictable and awesome in the Rikkai way- a group hug ending up all in a heap. It seemed that the picture from Yagyuu's photo cache…had come to life too. In which all worries were forgotten, and only happiness remained.

"Niou!"

"Niou-senpai!"

"Masaharu…"

Sure, it was something unbelievable. But this was Rikkai, and because they were Rikkai, that one team, that they believed, no matter how unbelievable or how ridiculous it was. Simply because it was their Trickster that they were talking about, and if it was him, Niou Masaharu of all people…then it was plausible.

To think…to think that who they thought had left had come back, come back in the most wonderful way possible. This gathering where they all reunited, this gathering which was intended for remembering him. It had materialised and become a reality, and the said person was now right in front of them, living, breathing, smiling, and doing everything that they wished he could have done back then, so long ago. But they would forgive him, because all that mattered was that their team was now complete, and that there was no need to feel so empty anymore.

"So…my feeling was right. I knew this gathering…this one was special."

It took all of Niou's power to detach herself from Yukimura. The older boy had a grip no weaker than a vice, and he seemed to have taken a liking to making sure she was not about to get away from him. She sighed, glancing over all of them. Jackal had also only woken up, and Marui pulled him aside to explain the whole thing.

"No one's…gonna ask me why I'm a girl?"

*Ping!* Oh wow, the sound of a pin dropping!

Well, it was silence alright. That one question of many had been left hanging on the group's minds, but none had dared to ask anything. Now that Niou herself had volunteered to answer it…then why not? Yukimura chuckled, and his expression changed to one of slight guilt. He started.

"Haru…actually, I saw both you and Yagyuu at the café the other day."

Said pair raised their eyebrows.

"Does…that have anything to do with…well…anything at all?"

The bluette leaned back, smiling apologetically, closing his eyes for a bit.

"I'm sorry for thinking that Yagyuu, you were cheating on Masaharu. I kind of thought that way then…"

Sanada too, had on a serious expression. Well, it wasn't as if he showed any expression other than a serious one…but we shall let that slide for now, shall we?

"I apologise as well, Niou, Yagyuu."

Niou looked down for a bit, blushing. Apparently that incident included some memories best kept to herself and not shown to anyone else. And was that…Yagyuu smirking?

"Yagyuu…could you kindly enlighten me on why Haru is blushing like that…?"

Oh no. Oh no. The sudden drop in temperature would have killed all living beings in the room, were they not the awesome ex-Rikkai regulars. The megane swallowed uncomfortably, only turning his head to look when he heard the 'thump' of Jackal fainting (again) after Marui finished explaining the situation at hand. If they were an anime, then he would be expressing the 'sweatdrop' emotion really well. Some applause please.

"Well…Yukimura. I haven't…done anything…questionable…"

And Niou being Niou, just had to add in her own two cents, or in other words, oil to the fire. It was figuratively speaking of course, else Marui's nice house would be burnt down by now. The silverette smiled.

"He kissed me and we even slept on the same bed together. Of course we didn't do anything questionable, Sei-nii, how could you even think that?"

Big mistake. Huge mistake.

Yukimura moved to look at Yagyuu, his head turning a tad more stiffly than the usual. Even Sanada moved a couple of inches away from said boyfriend.

"Yagyuu Hiroshi. We. Need. To. Talk."

Was it simply in Akaya's imagination that he saw Niou smirk evilly just then?

**xXEternallyXx**

"So, Niou. You haven't told us yet. Why are you in a girl's body?"

Niou opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Yanagi.

"I think the question should be…'Why are you in _Hanako's_ body?'… is that not correct, Niou?"

Yanagi was looking at said person. The silverette nodded, impressed. Just like the Data Master to actually guess something like that. Or knowing him, he not only thought or guessed- he really knew. She only smiled in approval in that neutral way that her Trickster ways had taught her years before, and sat up straight. Of course, they had to wait until Yukimura was done with his traumati- ahem, man-to-man talk with Yagyuu, before they could continue.

By then everyone was seated (yes, even Jackal! XD A cookie for you readers~) and ready to listen. Niou seemingly gave a few facial cues to the megane as he nodded in acknowledgement, before she shut her eyes in concentration, slumping back onto the couch, nearly lifeless. The sole bluenette in the room nearly got a heart attack had Yagyuu not kept him calm and assured him.

"What is going on over here?" Jackal looked annoyed that he was the only one still not clear about whatever was happening. Oh but no one could blame him. No one would expect an unconscious person to know what was happening around him when he was asleep, or that person would have to be some sort of genius…which Jackal is obviously not. Ahem.

The woman awoke in a few seconds (still with her eyes closed), but did not clearly tell what was going on. She made herself slightly more comfortable in the couch, then started on her experience that fateful day, at that fateful time. Of how she came to be in this body, and how she escaped her fate…

_FLASHBACK_

_Suddenly, there was peace from the tension. It was all calm._

_Niou felt relief wash over his entire being, and he was no longer feeling breathless nor weak. Everything felt so light now…and some strength has returned to him. He opened his eyes._

_Black. Pitch-black darkness._

_But…it didn't feel scary at all, unlike how a child might feel if you were to lock him in a room and turn off all the lights. To Niou the darkness right now felt comfortable, cosy, and warm…a welcoming feel. Grunting as he pushed himself up from a sleeping position, he remembered. He had been in the hospital room just minutes…or was it moments ago…and…oh. Realization seeped in._

_The silverette was dead. He had finally left the human realm._

_Sighing sadly, the boy looked around him for some kind of indication to where he was- and he found his answer in the form of a rather luminous path. The path itself was made out of an interesting material, something Niou didn't quite recognize. But he shrugged, deciding that it was best to follow it since it was his only lead. It was a winding path, but smooth to walk on, and the surroundings…they were getting brighter…and the silverette could make out some form of flora, and a small pond._

_A very zen garden style pond it was…hm? And beside the pond was…someone? Niou felt himself being lured there by sheer curiosity._

_As soon as he got close, the boy heard sounds of sobbing, and on closer inspection found the figure to be hunched over- probably crying. From where he was, the reflection in the water of the pond showed a forlorn face, tear-streaked and hurt. The girl's beautiful eyes were empty, yet at the same time full of hurt and hate. Her dirty silver tresses hung messily past her shoulders down her yukata. She must have sensed the Trickster just then, for she looked up in surprise. Niou was surprised by her sudden actions too._

_Reddish-brown met sea-green. There was pause for a few moments before the woman spoke first._

"_Yet another…huh?" The voice was feminine and weak, as if she saw death everyday. Niou wouldn't have been too surprised if she really did._

_The silverette felt her gaze on his wrist, and he held it up for a better view, gasping a little in surprise as he did so. On his left wrist was a silver band/bracelet and a single gem on it. The dark green gem- probable emerald, had a neat crack down the middle. It was dull too._

"_A cracked one…it means the end of one's time…"_

_The girl held up her own hand, where her own gem was whole and glowing proudly. A beautiful thing it was…Niou mused to himself._

"_How fortunate…"_

_The boy frowned. He was the dead one here and yet this girl was calling him fortunate? She had a few hundred brain cells less than she should, by the looks of it. Or…he looked towards her. Perhaps she was feeling too depressed about something, judging from the aura she emitted right now. Some people just thought about suicide during trying times, he guessed. Niou didn't know how, but his mouth seemingly had a mind of its own as he spoke suddenly._

"…_how is it fortunate? My life…was ripped…from me…"_

_At this the girl seemed to take interest and she looked a little hopeful, for reasons unknown. She smiled, patting the ground beside her, inviting said boy to sit next to her._

"_Your name?"_

"_Niou. Niou Masaharu."_

_Her eyes looked up a little thoughtfully, finger tapping her chin, then chuckled._

"_Hanako. Hanako Masahira. It is nice to meet you."_

**xXEternallyXx**

"…_perhaps I'll start off with why I'm here. You seem to want to know pretty bad."_

_Niou raised an eyebrow in surprise. This one in front of him right now was no ordinary person to be able to know what he was thinking- since he had been known to hide his thoughts well. Was the question really that obvious?_

"_You could say that I am some kind of…witch or something. I don't mind if you refer to me as such- since it is basically true that I took interest in the spiritual when I was young, and training has enabled me to enter a deep state of meditation like now. This state has also enabled me to reside in the path of passing dead souls…which in this case is you, Niou-kun. I'm fourteen this year, you?"_

"_I'm…fourteen too."_

_Silence accompanied the exchange of ages, and it was a long one this time. The Trickster felt uncomfortable and fumbled around helplessly for a topic. He had never been this fascinated talking to a girl before._

"_Um…so…why do you say I'm fortunate? Dying isn't something one would usually call 'fortunate'…"_

_The sudden jerk of the girl's head to look at him and the expression on that pretty face made him regret asking that question entirely. But then, it suddenly changed into a tiny smile._

"_The typical yet not so typical story, Niou-kun. My parents left me when I could just barely call them 'Mama' or 'Papa', and through part-time jobs as I grew up, I managed to save enough to get my own place. I know I'm underage…but it couldn't be helped…"_

_Hanako swung her slim legs in the water of the pond, the crystal clear water swirling in ripples as she moved. Tiny koi swam away from the slight disturbance in their environment. It was then that Niou took note of his surroundings- a zen garden, but without the grass. Where the grass should have been was a shiny and reflective marble-like black floor. The maiden continued._

"_I thought I found solace in my romances in school. I thought I'd met my Prince Charming, that he would be the one spiriting me away to where I would never be upset again. How wrong I was to think that, how wrong. They've all let me down over and over again, everyone of them. I don't even know who to trust now! Those jerks…it would have been better for everyone if I never lived…"_

_Sea-green eyes belonging to a certain boy widened as he sweatdropped a little. Dealing with such suicidal people was SO not his forte. He could even see some kind of aura (the suicidal kind) being emitted from her…_

_Both people began chatting with each other, about life stories, of happy moments, of sad moments, and of…moments that they would remember forever and ever. And much more in between. There was laughter, teasing, and a great deal of casual jokes. Niou didn't know how much time had passed…but it was no matter now that he was no longer living. Hanako wiped the last of her tears at having laughed too hard at Niou talking about one of his best pranks._

_She focused on the silverette's left hand, taking it into her own. Her gaze was on the broken gem._

"_Niou-kun…I have a proposition for you."_

"_Hn?"_

"_I've…heard your life story, and you have heard mine. Fate is indeed cruel, it toys with our lives. You, who still had a while future and love ahead, had your blissful time forcefully taken away from you. And I, who have been yearning for the relief of death, am still alive. It is unfair, is it not?"_

_Niou nodded slowly, unsure if he truly understood what Hanako was saying to him._

"_And also…my skill in bending certain rules of the spirit world…are rather good, if I may say so…"_

"_I…don't…"_

_The woman cut him off with a chuckle, her dark eyes brightening up genuinely for the first time since they had started talking to each other._

"_I…I want to trade places with you. I want to give you a second chance."_

**xXEternallyXx**

"_No…this is...why are you doing this?"_

"_I believe you are smart enough to figure out why, Niou-kun. Besides, I as the living am the one proposing this to you, as the dead. The bigger say automatically goes to me. Think about it…think about all the things you would have been able to do if you were still alive. Your life is still not yet complete…is it?"_

_This was really unexpected. There was no way this could be true. Niou couldn't find an answer to it. He wanted so much to refuse this ridiculous idea….but at the same time, he too wanted so much to willingly agree. _

"_B-But…you are a girl!"_

_Hanako kicked him where it hurt most._

"_Think! Niou, think!"_

_At that every point, Niou saw his tennis team. He saw how they had fought alongside each other to clinch their win at the Nationals. He saw those times when the only thing keeping the team going through the torturous training was the mentality that they could not afford to lose- they had a promise to keep. The promise of only playing at their best, the promise of BEING the best…_

_Then…he saw Yagyuu. He saw what he had gone through to convince Yagyuu to enter the world of tennis, and just how much better it was than that boring golf club. He saw the genius-like learning ability of the other boy pulling him through each and everything that he taught him, in order to catch up. Niou also remembered…the very day that Yagyuu had finally surpassed him, and beat him fair and square. Then began their partnership. Then began…their…love…_

_Hanako only watched on as the silverette's resolve slowly crumbled, sending him into a trance-like state. Truly, he wasn't ready to go yet, there were too many unfulfilled things in his life that awaited him. Closing her eyes, Hanako moved their hands such that the gems were touching. The Trickster had not yet snapped out of his trance._

_A golden light glowed as the energy transfer began._

"_I, Hanako Masahira, proposal the transfer of energy from her own to Niou Masaharu…"_

_The golden light simmered into a silver one, the transfer still taking place._

"_Permission had been granted on both sides. Beginning bonding pledge."_

_Memorised incantations flowed freely, even melodious from the girl's lips. This was what she had been waiting for, for so long. A chance for both parties involved to get what they wanted. Niou's gem had started to restore itself, while hers had begun to lose its glow and fire. The last of the incantations finished as the silver light started to spark- like those little fireworks kids loved to play with._

"_Relinquishing ownership of body to other party. Commence setting of rulebook."_

_The light enveloping the two gems were still sparking, and Hanako had somehow managed to knock Niou out sometime before (in all honesty, you don't wanna know how). Something akin to a shield was erected before Hanako._

"_Suppress memories till the current second. Replace void with Hanako Masahira's memories as substitute."_

"_Enforce coincidental traits, that should there be any habits or traits in common with body or mind, that they shall be reinforced."_

"_Memories shall be suppressed completely, and will only be unlocked when the soul reunites with his/her true love."_

"_When the soul is finally stable, he/she shall, in unconscious mind, seek out the other person."_

_And so the setting of the rules went on and on, Hanako checking over and over again if she had made any mistakes or loopholes. They could be fatal. Even she herself didn't know how many rules she had been setting, but she eventually came to the last one…_

"_Mixing of a particularly prominent physical trait from transfer…to complete link…"_

_Niou was now waking up as the chlorofoam wore off (now you know…and don't ask me why she has it), his sea-green orbs opening sleepily. Hanako then decided, completing the rulebook and finishing off the ritual. The grand finale of the transfer came as the sparks grew fiercer before dying down…as the girl's gem cracked completely and Niou's reformed completely._

**xXEternallyXx**

"_Ugh…"_

_It was decided. Niou hated chlorofoam (yes, he somehow knew- probably from all those times he used them in his pranks…)_

"_You are awake, Niou-kun. I finished up our exchange while you were sleeping (and whose fault is that? -.-"). How do you feel?_

_It was not until the boy found his own gem glowing in all its emerald-tinted glory, and Hanako's cracked and dull, that puzzle piece and puzzle piece clicked together. He gasped in shock, mouth moving but no words coming out. Hanako continued staring with her reddish-brown orbs at the Trickster until he finally composed himself._

"_Its…I-Its irreversible…isn't it?"_

_Hanako raised an eyebrow in amusement._

"_Actually it is. But the ultimate decision still lies with me, and right now I have no plans of doing anything like that~"_

_That sing-song voice was freaking annoying! But the silverette boy could care less about that at the moment, instead directing his attention to his now glowing life orb. This was what he had wanted, wasn't it? He had wanted to live just a little longer…to simply make the most out of his life. Now the life that had been so cruelly torn from him had been given back…at the expense of Hanako…_

_A hand placed over his shivering ones made him look up. Hanako's dirty-silver hair (imagine a shade somewhat darker than silver) brushed the sides of her face softly. She held out her hand and pulled Niou to his feet when he took it, standing up herself._

"_Masaharu-kun…let me call you that now that we are linked in a way deeper than just friends. Live well…and remember to introduce me to that guy when you have finally found him…"_

"_Wait, how did you know it's a hi-"_

_But before the poor boy could reply, the rest of his words got stuck in his throat as he watched Hanako pick up a large branch the size of her arm (where the heck did her strength come from? – Niou) and walk VERY slowly towards him. She had on this very sinister looking smile that somewhat reminded him of someone from Seigaku…_

_Somewhere in the real world, a certain short brown-haired boy sneezed, causing him to miss his serve. His crystalline blue eyes snapped open dangerously…wondering who was talking (thinking?) bad about him…_

_Back to Niou, he was backing away nervously from Hanako (whom by now he had presumed to be an undiagnosed mental patient). The girl surprised him with a warm smile now, as she finally cornered him against the trunk of one of the numerous trees around._

"_Remember to keep your promise, Masaharu…" she whispered._

_The Trickster only remembered that whisper, an aching head (AHEM!), and a certain type of piece as his memories sealed off, and he gained consciousness in the real world…_

_END FLASHBACK_

The first reaction everyone had was a sweatdrop on the back of their heads. A Niou that had been overpowered by a girl was just unfathomable and their imagination short-circuited at a mere attempt to visualise it. Said person was smiling happily, now opening her eyes fully to the world in all its beauty.

Orbs of the prettiest sea-green as well as a beautiful copper reddish-brown stared back.

"Masaharu…has very good friends…"

Yukimura frowned.

"Hn…?"

The silverette woman in front of him smirked, chuckling in amusement.

"Its time."

And there was only darkness enveloping the whole room, as the house fell silent and time very seemingly stopped within the fenced off property. There had not been time to question anything.

Marui did not know what hit him, but there was suddenly darkness and everything and it seemed like he had blacked out for a couple of seconds. Standing up, the redhead stumbled for a bit, identifying the source of his clumsiness as his new attire- a yukata. He snapped his head up and looked around, where all his fellow regulars were spread out across the black, marble-like floor. They too were clad in yukatas and were only just waking up.

"Eto…where are we?"

Akaya said as he sat up, finding it weird that he was dressed in the summer outfit, and the fact that he could see everything clearly despite it being pitch-dark, as if everyone had their own light source- only that they weren't glowing. Because that would really be creepy.

Sanada sat up at the same time as Yukimura, also equally puzzled as to why they were suddenly in visible darkness and clad in yukatas. There was only silence following for a few minutes.

"I have a feeling Niou is responsible for this…"

Yanagi spoke aloud as the group walked along together, along a smooth winding path that seemed to lead…somewhere. Well, look at it this way. It was not as if any of them had a choice. Yukimura was chuckling in amusement.

"It is indeed in his ability to do such a thing…"

Jackal was just following the group. The path had gone on for quite a while and some features in the surroundings had started to get visible. He could trace out an outline of some boulders, some trees…some fallen leaves, a woman who looked a lot like Niou, more boulders, more tree-

…wait a minute…a woman who looked a lot like Niou?

Everyone backtracked as the said person was standing there, laughing at the sight of all the expressions on the regulars' faces. Truly, an amusing sight to behold. Her hair was an interesting shade of dirty-silver and pretty long too. She folded her arms, clad in her yukata, and just waited.

"N-Niou?"

The female gave him this look that clearly asked if Akaya was indeed a fool. It was not too far from the truth actually, if you were talking about inference skill.

"What part of me makes you think I am him?" The woman looked bored at his answer, twirling her hair a bit.

Ah…that was unexpected. The man fumbled about for an answer but found none. Oh wait, now he got it!

"Everything…?"

There was some movement, and Akaya wondered to the heavens why God even gave certain body parts to humans because you know, it just hurt so damn much when they were kicked there of all places.

"YYYOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"

It took all of his power not to strangle a certain smiling woman right in front of him. Of course, Marui took this chance to laugh his head off.

**xXEternallyXx**

"If…If you aren't Niou…then who are you?"

Marui was only too puzzled, and he ignored Akaya's yelps while his gaze was still fixated on the newcomer, wondering what was going on. The silverette smiled cheekily.

"Oh? I see Masaharu-kun didn't tell you. I'm Hanako Masahira…its nice to meet you~"

Hanako brought the group to where there was a bigger space beside the pond to sit down, and perhaps talk for a bit. There was still the absence of grass, but some patches could be seen, growing. A rabbit happened to hop by, and immediately jumped onto Jackal's lap, wriggling its nose cutely as the innocent black eyes stared up at him. He blushed.

Everyone chuckled from where they were sitting cross-legged on the floor. The sight was just too cute.

"I know you have tons of questions to ask me, and tons more following those…but first, let me get started on my explanation. The reason Masaharu-kun and I share one body is because  
I offered it to him…"

The men gave her a 'look', and she threw a stone at each of their heads (heaven knows where the stones came from, or any of her other weapons for that matter *coughchlorofoamcough*). She glared at them.

"Not offer in that way you morons! I mean as something like a vessel for his soul…since I didn't want my life very much…and he did only too much. If anything, I kind of forced him into it actually."

It was really shocking to hear that. Everything had happened too fast and not one of them knew what they were sucked into this place for. Hanako did not seem to have any intention of giving them a chance to ask anytime soon. She simply talked about what she wanted, not leaving any window for questions.

It was not until after quite a while that she managed to tell about the rules of the spiritual world and all. Yagyuu understood most of it, and so did the others. Still, no one had known such a thing was possible. This woman in front of them right now was most definitely not Niou…but then who was she, really?

"The two of us share the same consciousness, but as you can see, he is the dominant one…"

Sanada nodded.

"If that is the case…then should Niou not be around here somewhere? The two of you co-exist in one body…so in mind…"

"That is correct, Sanada-san." Hanako interrupted neatly.

Niou…he was somewhere around? Around this zen garden-like area that seemed to be home to nothing but animals? It was rather unbelievable, but they followed Hanako anyway as she wordlessly got up and led the former team along some way.

No one even knew when Hanako had just silently left and disappeared like that. She was just there and then gone the next moment, with the surroundings seemingly a tad darker, and more trees around them than before. The marble-black floor reflected no light at all. A slight rustling in the mini forest sent all of them onto high alert.

Yagyuu really had to wonder at that moment. There was something suspicious about the way Hanako let them on, the way she kind of…kind of…

A shifting noise from behind a nearby tree pulled him out of his thoughts. The sound must have been quite loud too, for the rest turned to look as well. It had sent everyone looking in varied directions though, unsure if it was a trap of some sort.

"Where do you think you're looking…"

Yukimura and Yagyuu gasped simultaneously as heads jerked in the direction of that deep voice that they had remembered all too well, just as a figure came into view…

"…I'm right over here~…"

* * *

**And so the authoress ends only too brilliantly with an awesome cliffhange- *is shot XD***

**Yeah, I know you readers want to kill me so bad for leaving cliffies over and over again, but yeah…sometimes stories are meant to have cliffies you know^^ It only makes them all the more interesting and exciting .**

**Hey, and this might not be good news…but it's the Final Term Examinations, people:( Updates are only going to drag on longer and all, even though at least 3 chapters of this stuff is already stored up in my head. This exam is important and I cannot afford to fail **

**Bad things aside…how was the chapter? XD The style may have changed a slight bit due to the time length that this chapter took me, but of course, I would never forget the humor~**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**


	9. What had once been lost

**Those with pitchforks, torches, and whatever weapons you would like to kill me with, I would like to speak first.**

**I won't really state my reasons for my inactivity since it will take a couple of millenniums to finish stating them all. But you know, the main one is still school.**

**I fell sick when doing this chapter, so it got dragged on for a few extra days. Hate the flu bug :( Hontou ni gomenasai! TT_TT**

**Ohoh! And try viewing the page in 3/4 why don't you? Its right over there at the top right hand corner and trust me, the formatting looks SO much better this way.**

**Disclaimer: I killed my Yukimura wig. What a terrible crime *sniffs***

**Warnings: Carried over, some crack, yaoi, OOCness if you see it that way, Hanako being herself XD, oh and throw in Akaya and Marui…add more if you deem fit.**

* * *

That silver hair.

Those mischievous teal eyes.

That tennis-toned body.

Yet, he no longer had the mysterious air of an experienced trickster. Perhaps time had slowly pulled him back in line, calmed that rebellious streak the teenage him had been so infamous for. Or, it could just be another clever trick or illusion, by the one and only Trickster of the courts. Little had changed about Niou. His face had grown a tad longer- his hair too, if that rattail was anything to go by. Otherwise, there did not seem to be much of a difference.

"Konnichiwa…minna."

This could not be real. There were few things that could render Yanagi Renji speechless, and this was one of them. All logic about the subject has just dispersed into thin air, like water droplets from a spray. But then again, nothing made sense from the start. From the point Niou's drawl came out of Hanako's mouth till the present frozen time, where the man himself stood tall and proud in front of them…almost as if he never left.

"Niou? You're Niou…right?" Jackal asked, wide-eyed.

The silverette gave a bored look, choosing to lean casually on a nearby tree trunk.

"No…I'm Marilyn Monroe…" he muttered, ironically loud enough for all to hear. Sarcasm dripped from those words.

Meanwhile, Yukimura had been rendered speechless as well. But he did not react like he did with Hanako. Instead, he chose to take in the unbelievable sight of who had been lost and then returned…of what could possibly be the ultimate illusion, specially designed to attack him where he was weakest and then disappear into thin air.

"Haru…"

The bluenette reached out a hand to stroke the side of Niou's face as he stepped closer, feeling the warm flesh, the smoothness of that obviously living body.

So everything was real. He was not dreaming. Yukimura had always known in his heart that Niou never truly died, and yet, to have the proof of that set so blatantly right before his eyes…it still felt difficult to accept.

"I see even boys have their disbelieving moments."

All heads looked up to where Hanako was sitting on a branch of one of the taller trees. She smiled amusedly as she hopped down, beckoning for the others to follow her back to the pond. Yagyuu stayed nearly frozen, as the silverette slowly stepped across to the front of him, reaching out to touch the megane's face, trailing his fingers down the other's cheek, chin, then down the neck and collarbone. Yagyuu pulled him only too eagerly into a tight hug, then planted a chaste kiss onto his meant no offence, but the giddy smile and the tiny blush that followed looked way better on Niou than Hanako.

"Hanako."

Said woman looked up from the koi pond that she had been dangling her legs in, in a very undignified manner. She smiled at the speaker.

"Yes, Masaharu?"

The two had everyone's attention. The silence was almost deafening.

"Thank you…thank you for everything!" The silverette all but blabbered out, still a tad bit uncomfortable about speaking to the opposite gender (obviously, with the experience he had gone through with one in particular). Hanako tilted her head, tossing a pebble she had been holding up in the air before catching it again.

"If any thanks should be given, it should be from me to you-" she began.

"No…"

Niou shifted his weight onto his other foot, not caring if he had interrupted.

"…if…if you hadn't been there, if you hadn't talked to me, if we never met. There would not be a now. I would not be standing here among the people I care about the most (Kirihara and Marui mock-sniffed)…You gave me what should never have been mine and what I never deserved. You gave me a second chance at the love that I had waited for for so many years. And…I know its cheesy coming from me after 11 long years but…Hanako Masahira…thank you so much. I can say it over and over again. This debt will be one I will never repay in this lifetime."

Hanako stayed silent, before standing up and tossing the pebble across the pond. It jumped across the crystal clear surface, leaving multiple ripples in its wake as they wavered and spread into nothingness, scaring little koi away.

"You are welcome, Masaharu."

**xXEternallyXx**

The house whirled back to life as the ex-tennis team finally awoke from their positions. Yanagi looked at the clock, then at his watch.

"5 minutes." The brunette murmured. Marui's jaw dropped.

"Only? It felt like hours in there!"

There was apparently some kind of difference in time where they had just gone and it reflected on the clock. To have pulled all 8 of them into one common space that was Hanako's mind…this woman was far from a normal person.

There was small talk for a bit and then everyone exchanged contacts.

"I won't question what happened back there with all the darkness and all, but it's still bugging me that you're staying with Yagyuu, Haru." Yukimura said, sipping his drink.

Niou rolled her eyes. Seriously, they were no longer fourteen. She had her own life she wanted to live and while she appreciated the attention, it seemed to be going overboard. There was such thing as over-protectiveness, and this was a perfect example of it.

Thankfully, Yanagi decided to save them.

"The best place for Niou to be right now is with Yagyuu. After all, it is nothing short of a hundred percent chance that the two are destined to be together." The brunette spoke.

The gang stared incredulously at Yanagi before doubling over in laughter, sans Sanada, Yagyuu and of course, the brunette himself. Marui wiped his tears off once he had calmed down.

"Seems like with our Trickster's return…our past selves are coming back."

It was very true. Some part of each of them died together with the silverette all those years ago when they saw the eyes of their teammate shut themselves, never to open again. Yukimura didn't smile all that much anymore, and even if he did, it was a painfully fake one. Sanada still slapped people, but those slaps lacked a certain inner strength that was once so characteristic of it. Yanagi spoke out his data less, and for once people actually saw him as a normal tennis player. Marui became more independent, brushing up on the subject that a certain other used to tutor him in. He also ate less sweets. Jackal just threw himself into more intense training on top of his own menu, because to him, that was the only thing he could do to continue moving forward. Akaya never thought that his school life would feel so lacking without that hot pink glitter all over his spare uniform in his locker, or that bucket on top of the club door every other day. He also did something he never thought he would do, to actually put tennis to the side a little more and bring up his grades.

Yagyuu…Yagyuu never changed. He went about his life as if nothing happened, as if Niou never went. And that was what scared the others.

Life is all about changes. Without changes, there would never be a King Rikkai that was so all-powerful. Without changes, there would never be a stronger bond, a stronger team. Yet, there were also changes that pushed those trying to move forward a few steps back, and sometimes, not merely a few steps, but a few miles.

Those few miles were enough to make anyone change in order to gain back distance. One could never walk the exact same path twice, much as they would like to. You would always deviate somehow, be it to this direction, or to that direction. Or maybe even choose a completely different path because the memories just hurt too much to remember.

In this unlikely and unpredictable event that had surprised even Yanagi, something unexpected happened too. The parts of the team's personalities that she had taken with her had been returned, and it was with those pieces that bit by bit, they found themselves again. With time, perhaps they would heal themselves, and feel whole again.

"I have to agree then." Yagyuu said, pushing up his glasses out of habit.

Past selves were often reminders of painful journeys through self-discovery, betrayal, and lies. Many if given a choice, would not want to revisit them. Then again, the ex-Rikkai regulars were not exactly normal in the first place. To tell the truth, tennis was a very sanity corroding sport.

"Speaking of the past…how has it been? Have all of you been continuing with…tennis?"

Niou retied her hair, waiting for the reply.

Even Sanada looked surprisingly guilty. But it could not be helped. The same expression was appearing on everyone's faces as well, to different extents. Niou huffed. Seriously, were they really once the reigning tennis team in the whole of Japan? No one had really gone on to pursue the sport that they all loved and shared, and their current jobs had them too tied to really work out properly.

"Well, I actually have an idea that I want to propose to everybody. It sounds crazy, but if we are willing to cooperate to do it, it will work!"

Those eyes shining bright with passion unnerved Yukimura and some others. Jackal was miraculously unaffected though.

"What's the idea?"

The silverette started to twirl her ponytail around, much like she did before. She grinned.

"I propose that we go back to our alma mater. To show the new generation what got us that championship."

That. Was. The. Most. Ridiculous idea that they had ever heard of. After so long? Not to mention how their sedentary lifestyle had taken its toll on their once admirable stamina and skill. Like a lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky on a bright sunny day, the question was unexpected. Yagyuu however, did not seem to think it so.

"It would be a good opportunity to revisit where we started out from. Tennis as part of the equation should be enough reason for us to go, no?"

Damn Yagyuu. Damn him and his damn persuasiveness.

"I agree with Yagyuu. While we may not have touched out rackets in a while…tennis is still a part of us. Why not? I'm sure the school will be happy to have this kind of event too. Something akin to exhibition matches?"

Damn Yanagi too.

"So. Since this is settled…" Niou smirked.

The table was strewn with numerous photos (the whole team still could not believe Yagyuu was the one who provided them). To think that they still carried this much blackmail value after all these years. While the commotion they might have caused diminished quite a bit, there was still a reputation the individual members had to keep. As adults, one could do without the extra baggage of remembering the embarrassing things they did during those rebellious and reckless teenage years (okay look, to Sanada's defence, he was forced into that frilly monstrosity). For them right now, it was a do-or-die situation. Or to put in nicer terms, a do or die-of-horrible-embarassment-and-humilation-that-will-follow-you-for-the-rest-of-your-life situation…hmm, not that that is any better.

"…we…have to call the school to ask or something right?"

Yukimura chuckled, folding his arms and for a moment looking once more like the captain that he once was and always will be in their hearts.

"We don't have to, Haru."

**xXEternallyXx**

This time, the woman blinked.

"Heh? Why not, Sei-nii?"

Yukimura knew Niou's ignorant side existed, but he didn't know it was THIS pronounced now that he was in Hanako's body. The bluenette put an elbow on Yanagi's shoulder and leaned a little on the other.

"Because, Haru. We have already got permission."

"Huh?"

This was confusing. Did they not need to ask for permission? It was a requirement for this kind of thing right? She turned to Yagyuu for an explanation, but he simply stayed silent. So did the others. The fact that Marui had on this very amused look did not help matters at all. It in fact only annoyed the silverette more. She put her hand on her hip.

"Look…is there something I don't know?"

"A ton."

Thank goodness that plastic cup was empty, else Marui would have had to clean himself up and then explain to his hairstylist the next day the reason for his destroyed hairdo. Not to mention the cup might have broken if it were made of some other material. Akaya chose to ignore his redheaded senpai (oh yeah, revenge~).

"Yagyuu-senpai…you mean you never told Niou-senpai…?"

The man in question had on an expression that was perhaps too innocent to be true.

"Told her what, Akaya-kun?"

Yukimura rolled his eyes at the drama that was unfolding before him. On one hand, one could blame Yagyuu for choosing not to tell Niou about it even though it was obviously essential knowledge. Whereas on the other hand, one could blame Niou for simply being too ignorant. So ignorant, there was a need to mention it twice. The bluenette looked to Yanagi for help.

"Niou, has Yagyuu ever told you who the current principal of the Rikkai Dai Middle School Division is?"

"…come to think of it, no…"

The sannin bakemono all fell anime-style. Yukimura got up first, staring at his godbrother(?), then shaking his head in mock sadness and disappointment. He even held a hand to his forehead for added effect, sighing.

"You mean to tell us that after working so long as a TEACHER there, you don't even know who he is?"

Marui gave the woman a I-can't-believe-you-don't-know-this-oh-yeah-check-out-my-genius look as he popped his gum (say…where did that gum come from?).

"Hm…well I know it's a guy…"

"Holy! How did you know that?"

Niou sweatdropped as she stared at the redhead pointing childishly at her.

"You…just told me."

Ah, the wonderful sound of the cricket choir.

Yagyuu shook his head at the chaos that was taking place. To think Marui still acted so childishly even though they were no longer teenagers. That guy was really lucky to have Jackal by his side to keep him in line. No one else would be able to do a better job.

"Oh I know, we should ask Yanagi!"

Of course, there was a perfect reason to headpalm right there and then. Yagyuu only wondered how he had fallen in love with this person.

"Yanagi, do you know who the principal is?"

All was silent as attention fell on the two of them. The brunette smirked, yes, SMIRKED!

"You're speaking to him right now."

The silverette blinked once, twice, and a few more times. Maybe it was because of Hanako's mind-meddling just now, but her brain was working really slow today.

"Oh…oh…OH!" So came the dramatic realization.

There was a sudden flash from a corner of the room. Yanagi immediately dropped the smirk from his face, looking at the source.

"Marui, kindly delete that."

"B-But I've never seen you smirk before! It will make awesome blackmail…"

Akaya rolled his eyes and took the camera out of his senior's hands, deleting the photo with trained expertise. He tossed back the camera to a sulking and whiney redhead, all the while smiling a smile really reminiscent of Yukimura's sadistic one.

It was also at times like this that the whole lot of them wondered what life had done to the two shortest members of the group. It made the oldest act like the youngest and the youngest act like the oldest. Oh the irony. But then again, their team was full of irony anyway, with all the clashing personalities that somehow melded together to form something called a tennis team.

"From the looks of it, it will be a fun event."

"An 88.2 percent chance that it will be, Niou."

"Why such a low percentage? You mean to tell me you're not too confident in our event succeeding, Data Master~?"

Yanagi twitched very subtly. His data being questioned this way was still something he disliked even after so long.

"The other 11.8 percent would consist of the other schools' ex-players from our generation coming to add to the fun."

Yukimura smiled and patted his friend's back.

"I've always known we could trust you, Yanagi."

"Even if you say that…the idea is still the Trickster's. I can't take much credit for this."

Sanada had not spoken much, but it was clear that he too was happy at the unfolding of all the events so far. He tapped on his lover's shoulder, whispering into the other's ear when he had gotten his attention. The bluenette seemed to be reminded of something very suddenly and immediately made his way across the room to where he had placed his bags. He picked the bigger one up and sat back down, looking as if Christmas had come early.

"Haru, please tell me you at least remembered what day it is today…"

Yukimura was almost pleading, not knowing the extent of Niou's newfound ignorance. Niou grinned.

"Of course I did! It's Sunday!"

This time, there was just silence. Akaya however, looked like he very much wanted to find a convenient piece of wall to bash his head against right there and then. Then Niou started on a light and contagious laugh.

"I'm not that forgetful, Sei-nii. It's my birthday today, isn't it?"

The grip on his bag tightened as his gaze softened.

"Yes, yes it is."

The former captain pulled out one of the canvasses, checking to make sure it was the right one before turning it around to show the others. There were awed looks and some gasps as they took in the piece of art. Beautiful could not even begin to describe it.

"…Hanako?"

Yanagi contemplated for a while before nodding in agreement to Niou's statement.

"It does indeed remind you of Hanako-san. You can see the mischief in the kitten's eyes, but only if you look closely. Otherwise, it just looks like an innocent little animal, playing around with its toy."

Yukimura and Sanada turned to regard the painting once more, sweatdropping a little when they realised what Yanagi said was pretty much true. How eerie some coincidences were. The bluenette laughed nervously before slowly slipping the painting back into the bag. He reached in and pulled a a wrapped article out, even though it was obviously a painting from the size and shape of it.

"Here."

Niou received the present a little hesitatingly, muttering a stuttered thanks, asking for permission to open it. The other nodded really eagerly and soon the wrapper was off. Sea-green eyes were wide, and she held a hand to her mouth to stifle, rather unsuccessfully, a gasp. The very same hand started smoothing over the painting, taking care not to damage any part of it. It was almost a mirror, a time capsule.

At the reaction from her, everyone including the Troika darted behind her to see the painting (not that the alpha pair had not seen it), reacting the exact same way she did.

Every bit of it was perfect. The shade of yellow that was so characteristic of the Rikkai tennis uniform. The numerous red 'R's that lined the sleeves. The Rikkai crest that was worn on the left side of the shirt with pride. Most of all, the windows to the soul that burned with undying passion.

It was the Trickster through and through. No doubt about it. The bluenette ruffled the silverette's hair, hugging her from behind, as he lay his head on her shoulder.

"Happy Birthday, Niou Masaharu."

She chuckled, then settled for staring silently at the portrait.

"Indeed…happy birthday…to me."

No one took notice of Marui as he stepped out of the living room into the doorway, looking at Niou with his sad lilac orbs. It was almost longing, that look.

**xXEternallyXx**

Yagyuu was fearing for his life. Yes, cuz it was hanging on a thread. And the only way to save his life was to tame the raging silver dragon.

"Hiroshi~"

Niou sat herself on his study desk and slammed it with her left hand. She smiled a sweet smile so sweet it was anything but (not to mention her eyes were closed). It was terribly unfortunate that such a big pair of sharp scissors lay within her reach at the moment.

"Why did you not tell me about Yanagi being the current school principal?"

Another slam on the tabletop.

"I…never really found a need to…"

"Hmm…I suppose so…"

The silverette nodded with her index finger and thumb on her chin. The other breathed an inner sigh of relief, for hopefully, this reason was enough to satisfy her. See? Her aura was calming down already…

She folded her arms when she was done thinking. And then she slammed the tabletop again. Yagyuu seriously pitied the poor table because he of all people knew how Niou's arm strength increased multi-fold when she was angry. To add to that, the table was new! Niou lifted her lover's chin up so he could look her in the eye.

"Yeah, as if I would accept such a ridiculous reason."

Ah. No such luck in calming down that aura.

"Since you didn't find a need to…then I suppose you don't have a need for…"

Niou plonked herself into the Gentleman's lap and help up the pair of scissors, giving it a test snip before pointing it dangerously below his belt.

"…this, right?"

Whatever being up there, whoever can help him, please…in that moment, the bespectacled man saw his life as a normal and healthy male human flash before his very eyes. He really did not want to be confined to life as a eunuch! It would hurt his pride too much.

"M-Masaharu…I believe we can talk things out…"

*SNIP*

"What things out?" The silverette asked, at least not slamming the tabletop this time.

Yagyuu exhaled outwardly this time, holding both Niou's wrists hostage while she wasn't paying attention for a split second. She cursed.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't think you would get so mad. I thought it would be nice if you could have a surprise…"

The woman looked away, pouting.

"But you embarrassed me…!"

That…was a really interesting reason. Quite a good one to allow for Niou to want to strip him of his… masculinity. There…must have been some other, hidden reason that the raging dragon was so mad. Embarrassment was something the Trickster was well known for not being affected by back in the days. Why the difference now?

"Haru…" he smoothed his hand over those silvery locks.

"I-It's just…I didn't want anyone to think of me as any different, or weaker, just because I'm now in a girl's body. And then…"

No more words were exchanged as the silverette found her lips being taken over by the one and only Gentleman. The couple stayed that way until the need for oxygen overwhelmed them and they broke apart, panting and flushed.

Niou smirked, licking her lips as she had dominated in their tongue fight.

Yagyuu smirked…holding up his trophy from that kiss – that accursed pair of scissors.

The Trickster swore a little as she realized the fact that both her hands were empty and that her precious weapon aka the scissors had just landed in the dustbin. Darn, she had been outsmarted.

But…it really had been an eventful day. It was a joyous and indescribable feeling being able to reunite with the team again. Sure, the circumstances were unexpected and logic defying, but a gathering it was nonetheless. Life was looking up now, with all that, and the future just seemed so much brighter.

What more could Niou Masaharu seriously ask for?

* * *

**My first update for the year 2012. I feel old…**

**For those who read my other fic, A Smile For Me, well I will have to apologise. No, I'm not going to discontinue it, or put it up for adoption, but it will be on hold for now. I realise that with my school workload now, one chapter-ed story is all I can handle, together with the occasional oneshots^^**

**Once more, the chapter might have some changes. I tend to just write whatever comes to mind and hope readers like it XD Tell me in your reviews?**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**

**Posted: 12/02/2012 (dd/mm/yyyy)**


	10. I never knew

…**the frequency of my updates have put Eternally on par with most of the other new stories. For that I really am sorry *is shot many times***

**Well, for those readers who have been sticking with me all the way until now, thank you. I also want to thank all those who have read but not yet reviewed (cuz I choose to think positively), because as long as I know there are people out there who are reading my work, I get the motivation to continue:)**

**I've also beta-ed the previous nine chapters and changed some stuff here and there, with the addition of the 'painting scene' in Chapter 9 :P Hope you guys noticed. You might also wanna read through the whole story again if possible.**

**Disclaimer: I believe Sanada can give good love advice. Ah, that I do.**

**Warning(s): Language, shounen-ai, annoying teachers (no offence to my RL ones), OCs (only because I need a smooth story, so they'll disappear when I'm done with them), slight OOCness if you see it that way…add more if you deem fit.**

**Story time then^^**

* * *

"…because she realised that her beloved was going to run off with some other guy and lead a brilliant gay life without her. So that's why they never ended up together. The end."

Every single student in that class sweatdropped at the explanation, with expressions of disbelief, and some laughing their heads off.

"Hanako-sensei…what are you doing here again?" one very daring student asked.

There was silence.

"Filling in for your literature teacher." Niou deadpanned.

Right. Filling in for a fellow teacher. Nevermind that Niou never read that text anyway. She just skimmed through the first five pages and assumed there was going to be some random dramatic breakup with the guy ending up with another guy and the girl being left all alone. Because come on…did all literature novels not end like that?

Hm…judging by the faces of Akami-sensei's form class students (not that said teacher taught the subject anyway)…they did not. Sad, the world would be a more interesting place if that were the case.

The silverette just shrugged and tossed the book aside.

"Well, I tried^^ Now let's get down to doing this worksheet your teacher prepared for you…"

Niou really was enjoying her life at Rikkai. Being a teacher did not mean it had to be boring. It was far from that in fact. Sure, there were the pain in the neck assignments and stupid tests that needed marking and grading, but the fun made up for it. It was great to see the younger generations so willing to learn from you and rise up. The school was well known for excellence in all areas, and most of the students fit that image, boasting a large talent pool that clinched awards and certificates just like a magnet in a sea of thumbtacks.

It was probably Yanagi's doing. Precision and efficiency were always in the equation when he handled things.

The silverette had a real good reputation among the students, and there were few who disliked her across the levels. There was always excitement (squealing from the girls) and anticipation (eager looks from the boys) whenever she was to enter a class for lessons, be it actual or just simply to relieve another teacher of his or her duties. Not just that, the staff were also beginning to look up to her. She was probably the most important one in the Maths Department just after Yagyuu.

Then there was also the issue of clubs. Niou did facilitate the running of some of them, like the girl's tennis team, the science society etc etc. She gained a lot of recognition for all of it. Not many could handle the rambunctious bunch that were the science society (for once there were no broken test tubes, explosions or injuries).

"Hiroshi, I heard from Akami-sensei that a new bunch of trainees are coming in."

Yagyuu sipped his coffee.

"Well…it is about time. There has to be constant staff traffic after all, else there would be a shortage of teachers."

Niou pasted a star sticker on a distinction score, then continued marking down the stack.

"Any under you this round?"

"No. My turn was with you. It would be some time before I get assigned again."

She huffed.

"Well good. If any other woman were to be put under your charge she just might find that hot pink hair is her new style."

"No fooling around, Haru. I would pity whoever if that happened. And I think you might get assigned one this round."

"Of course. No one can get close to my beloved and hope to ge- wait, what do you mean by that?"

Yagyuu explained that it was because Niou was already considered rather experienced and a good candidate to be attached to a new trainee. There was also a rotation system to allow experience to be passed on by anyone qualified and not just the best ones. The woman scowled, capping her pen and drinking her tea in an undignified manner.

"Darn. I may well get a guy who can't tell my boobs from my face and who can't teach to save his life."

The other had to laugh.

"Yanagi-kun won't let that happen. All these go through his approval after all. Most of the staff know not to question the way he works."

Niou finished grading the last of the stack and made a mark on her task list for the day.

"True, true."

**xXEternallyXx**

There were more trainees this time round. Rikkai was a popular school after all, not just among the students but the teaching population too.

True enough, Niou did get assigned a trainee. This one was a rather naive, but determined one who had passion for what she did and a good charisma. Shiharu Miyo had the makings of a great teacher, all she needed was that small push to get there. It was at this point that the silverette smiled as she introduced herself to her attached trainee.

"_Thank you~ Yanagi~"_

Akami-sensei also had one under her this time. Riko Kiyami. A flattering woman who was competition for Hanako in terms of bodily assets. Her personality however, was in question, but it probably was nothing big as she had passed the Data Master's eye. Just like Shiharu, this brunette beauty had the brains. Well, only time would tell if they truly belonged.

Niou really hated the way Riko was looking up and down Yagyuu. Seriously HATED the way she made it so obvious she had an interest in him. The silverette seethed. An interest in HER Hiroshi. Damn, this brunette dunce had no idea just how dangerous this territory was, did she? It was the umpteenth time in the day the other had purposely shoved her brilliant Ds in Yagyuu's face, asking him questions that Akami could have very well answered. It was downright flirtation.

"Hanako-sensei…do you like Yagyuu-sensei?"

Was she really that obvious? Even Shiharu, the emotional nut, saw it. The couple had not planned to tell anyone of their relationship yet, since it would be best kept a secret.

"Well…you could put it that way."

The normally shy teacher looked thoughtful as she continued assisting in proof-reading the answer key to the latest worksheet that the students had complained about. Seriously, who was the one who made the damn answer key?

"Sensei always seems a little more irritable whenever Riko-san talks to Department Head."

Well darn, the senior teacher thought. Her mask was fading due to her jealousy. It could use a lot more work.

"That one's a nuisance. I can't exactly think of another word to describe her. She is just…a nuisance."

The young blond a little in agreement, scanning the bottom of every page in the worksheet and the answer key…only to twitch when she saw a neat 'Riko Kiyami' printed at the bottom of one of the pages. She groaned and promptly headdesked (whatever of the desk she could under all those paperwork), much to the puzzlement (and amusement) of Niou.

"I would not really doubt she is. Even back in the academy, her flirtatious nature always brought trouble."

Then, the younger woman proceeded to continue her headdesking.

Shiharu was progressing rapidly. Niou was all too ready to put in a few hundred good things about her in her report. That cycle of respect she maintained and controlled, the efficiency in identifying students' weak points in the learning of each topic, the way she somehow managed to control the class through her aura alone due to her soft-spoken voice. Never out of line, always willing to take a risk. Maybe it was the silverette's good fortune, but all the teachers she had met so far lived to teach and not the other way round.

Except for of course, maybe Riko. That miniskirt is hardly suitable attire for a day of lessons.

"Late morning would be the best. Everyone will be fully awake by then."

"But then…isn't late morning the hottest time of the day?"

The lunching trio (Yanagi, Yagyuu and Niou) had picked out a nice restaurant and settled into a slightly more private table where they would discuss how the event was going to take place. Yanagi had long prepared the necessary resources to promote and get the student body to help if need be. They eventually decided that late morning was still the best time, since it was true that it was a time when most people would really be awake. Talk about stating the obvious.

"There should be a break. And I don't care if you are afraid of fangirls coming back to haunt you guys. They should have grown out of their immaturity already."

Yagyuu sighed.

"That is the least of our issues. I worry more for how we are going to handle those matches without the stamina we used to have."

He found a paper shoved into his face. The bespectacled man peeled it off and read it. Yanagi sat back down.

"You have absolutely no idea how much I've missed doing that, Yagyuu."

Niou could not help bursting into laughter at the sight of Yagyuu groaning into the training menu that the brunette had given him (as well as the rest of the team, so he said). It really was good having everyone be themselves again, especially since now they all had 'training' to do.

There was just something about tennis that connected all of them, even if they had not touched those beloved rackets in years. It really made the silverette wonder about the bonds they had. They were probably akin to spider webs. Thin, weak-looking, even invisible…they seemed. But underneath that guise hid a trapping mechanism of the strongest kind – threads that would never break easily.

"Publicity won't be an issue at all. Personally, I would have been able to create a decent amount on my own, but with Marui's and Akaya's help…more than three quarters of the country would know of our event within hours."

Yagyuu and Niou nodded in agreement. Actually, Akaya would have been enough. All he had to do was obtain permission to write the content, actually get down to writing the article, publish it, and voila! Those who never really let go of tennis even after so many years were bound to come even if only to watch. Marui's influence was a plus factor. He could just 'accidentally' mention that he would be participating in such an event in his interview…and he was going to fill up half the seats on campus (so the self-proclaimed genius says, of his fanclub).

"I believe there is not much we need to do, Yanagi-kun."

Said guy raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?"

"The other ex-teams are bound to have their own intelligence after all. If we really want to ensure things fall into place, all we really have to do is simply to alert an influential or loud-mouthed member."

So came the jealous damn-why-didn't-i-think-of-that look from Yanagi and Niou (wait, Yanagi could make expressions?). And the discussion continued.

**xXEternallyXx**

"I believe I have made this clear, Riko-sensei. I really am uninterested in a relationship at the moment."

Apparently Niou and Shiharu were not the only ones having their nerves grated on by Riko. Even Yagyuu himself was finding himself twitching subtly every time the rather voluptuous teacher called his name. Alright, so she was really sexy for a woman, with curves in all the right places and the charms too, but if she had wanted to utilize all of that, then there had to be a huge problem with her choice of career.

Said teacher was acting all innocent and shy. Yeah, as if she could beat Niou in that aspect.

"Aw…but I'm sure I can help you change your mind~"

Oh for the love of-

"Meet me after work today, sensei."

A demand from an intern. How atrociously disrespectful. For once, Yagyuu could understand how Akami felt whenever someone disrespected him. Turning his gaze towards her, their gazes met and the normally strict teacher could only slump down exasperatedly in her chair. Even she had been pushed to the end of her tether. In all honesty, what was Yanagi thinking when he let this one in?

That wooden noticeboard to the bespectacled man's right looked absolutely inviting. But perhaps, he should wait until everyone was gone before indulging himself in any stress-relieving therapy.

Yanagi believed, that he should not have been surprised when a scowling Niou decided to show up at his office door, bringing with her documents that could have been handled by an intern. The silverette was never one to do things without a purpose after all. Looking up from his documents and holding gazes with her once she sat down, he exhaled.

"That new trainee, Riko Kiyami…is what you were going to start your sentence with."

She tilted her head to the side.

"Since you already know…mind explaining, Yanagi?"

Niou was not even bothering to hide how she was feeling inside. She was utterly disgusted and repulsed by the mere thought of one Riko Kiyami, and the dark aura was rolling off her in waves. Tsunami waves, if any comparison could be made.

"I suppose I have to be honest with you. Rikkai is a big school, and as such there are many things under my charge. The only thing that passed through me for the intern programme was the assignment of the teachers, for I believe Seiichi would kill me should any…unruly teacher be paired with you."

The Trickster had to admit, Yanagi had a knack for including serious info, a joke, and a threat all into one with a pokerface to boot.

"In that case, you might want to do a double-check on your vice-principal. He let in a slut, not a teacher." Niou might have looked neutral folding her arms like that but the fury in her eyes said otherwise.

The brunette man frowned at the use of language, but pulled out a file from a nearby stack anyway, flipping through it.

"Riko Kiyami. Graduated with first-class honours…diligent learning attitude…wonderful charisma…" he muttered.

The silverette rolled her eyes. It was hard to believe how any of that could be true.

"She must have paid someone to forge all that."

Yanagi just shrugged uncharacteristically and closed the file. Many of the department heads had come complaining to him about said teacher and even a few students too. Something big was going to happen if this was not settled properly. To link Yagyuu, Riko, jealousy and Niou all together…would be a horrible mistake. A trickster in a bad mood was not one to be trifled with. He knew of course- too many who had tried the other's patience back then ended up in hospitals for at least a week. Some were even traumatized for life.

The silverette sighed in exasperation, muttering her thanks as she stood up to leave.

"Wait."

She paused, door half-open.

"Yes?"

"…there is no way I can help you directly. But I just thought you could get away with it just this once."

Niou smirked, turning back to face him.

"Why thank you."

"However, I do draw the line at vandalizing school property and harming students or any INNOCENT teachers."

Oh well, at least she had already confirmed that she was not the only one who wanted a certain someone to get their ass out of the school. Not to mention she had also gotten indirect support from the principal to carry out the deed without repercussions.

The silverette nodded and strolled out of the office, and back to her desk, humming a happy tune.

Yagyuu was waiting for his lover just outside the school. Apparently, even holding out until late in the evening to go home was not enough to deter Riko from meeting privately with the HOD. He could only hope she would make this fast so he could get on with his daily routine.

"Hello, Riko-sensei. You wanted to meet me?"

"Of course. Who wouldn't want to meet a handsome hunk like you?" she purred. She was far too close for comfort, and the man found his sense of smell being assaulted with a heavy floral scent. Yagyuu could only wonder how his nose was going to survive till the end of it. He held her wrist.

"Look, Riko-sensei. I really am uninterested. At the same time it is hardly appropriate for you to engage in such behaviour in the school compound. As the Math department head I believe in drawing a distinct line between work and social life."

The brunette was not to be deterred so easily, however. She only smiled a bigger smile, choosing to run her finger down his chest.

"Perfect. I've always liked assertive men." She winked.

Riko let go and went on her way, swaying her hips in a seductive way. The bespectacled man just wanted to punch something…or someone at the moment. Too bad Riko-sensei was a woman. Though the next person he meets just might incur his wrath-

"Ready to go, Hiroshi?"

…ah, that is not to be.

"Of course."

It was almost sunset when the two went on their way, chatting casually about certain students and about the interesting bits in general.

Only, Yagyuu was not sharp enough to notice when Niou looked back and narrowed her eyes at the path Riko Kiyami had walked.

**xXEternallyXx**

For some reason, Yagyuu Hiroshi felt he should not be surprised when he found the whole of Riko's desk covered in bright orange glitter, with random patterns drawn in it using white glue. Not to mention the bucket of golden glitter that had so conveniently been sitting on top of the door when she came in. The trainee had shrieked with enough volume to render anyone deaf for the next couple of days, and stomped off in a huff amidst the concern of Akami-sensei as well as the rest of the Math department.

The concern…which quickly changed to utmost glee and hysterical laughter the moment Riko was out of hearing range. Even Yagyuu had smiled while solving some of the harder maths questions students had posed to him the day before. A few of the staff members even gave Niou a thumbs-up, knowing full well no other could be responsible, not even their most mischievious delinquent.

"That was just awesome…good work, Hanako-sensei!"

"Did you see the look on her face? It was priceless, I tell you!"

Shiharu put a hand on her senior's shoulder, serious expression on.

"Hanako-sensei. You have earned my utmost respect, oh great one!" And she fell to her knees, in a mock bow. That only served to add to the laughter.

All immediately ceased and returned to 'work-mode' when Riko sensei could be seen returning, albeit with her hair in slight disarray and some glitter still stuck in random places. Shiharu could only be glad she was almost out of sight of the other because the brunette looked absolutely ridiculous and she was terrible at stifling her laughter.

Yagyuu felt a vibration in his pants pocket, pulling his phone out discreetly to check if it was an emergency message, only to raise an eyebrow at the name of the sender.

"You know you loved it, Gentleman~"

He looked across at his lover, who held gazes with him for a couple of seconds before smirking and getting back to marking. The man could only sigh, typing out his reply.

"That I did. Good job, Trickster."

The HOD had stared at Niou, trying to see how she managed to type her messages without stopping work when his phone vibrated again.

"Puri. 

P.S If you wanted to undress me, all you had to do was ask."

Damn. He had been caught staring…and wait what was all this about undressing? Yagyuu willed himself not to blush as he quickly typed a reply, before stuffing the offending metal object back into his pocket with more force than necessary.

"I was NOT. And please do focus on your work."

Niou could only smirk once more. It was obvious the other was flustered by her statement, that hypocrite. Her thoughts were then interrupted by a new message.

"95.7 percent chance that you have already played a prank on Riko Kiyami."

That was so Yanagi. The teacher smirked and immediately replied.

"Make that 100 percent."

The silverette was a tad bit surprised at the vibration just seconds later.

"The other 4.3 percent was of you deciding not to tease Yagyuu following the incident."

…right. She might want to rethink teasing Yanagi about his inaccuracy. When the Master put his mind to it, his predictions could become eerily stalkerish and accurate. Plus how did he manage to type that fast anyway? Niou shivered.

**xXEternallyXx**

Sanada really did enjoy it when he could do a day's work smoothly without a hitch. He admitted, he was one heck of a workaholic but made sure it did not affect his relationship with Yukimura. It was with a good mood (how he can be in a good mood when he was buried under what could be called a couple of days worth of work is beyond the comprehension of anyone) that he decided to answer a call without first looking at the caller ID.

"Moshi moshi, Sanada Genichirou speaking."

"Hello Sanada-kun."

The raven blinked. Why was Yagyuu calling him of all people?

"Hello Yagyuu. You…needed to ask me something?"

He could hear a sigh on the other side of the line.

"…yes. Would you happen to be able to discuss the behaviours of our respective ukes right about now?"

Sanada nearly choked on his coffee.

"…pardon?"

"I mean, do you happen to have some time on your hands?"

In all honesty, Sanada would very much rather just hang up on Yagyuu after telling him to solve his own relationship problems and get back to settling his work-related problems, like a lazy boss. But Yagyuu's problem meant it was also Niou's problem. And Niou's problem in turn meant it would somehow become Seiichi's problem.

Seiichi with a problem was an angry Seiichi.

An angry Seiichi meant not getting any for at least a week.

Not getting any for even a week was not good.

And him pushing Yagyuu away would make an angry Seiichi.

That was why, Sanada decided, it was worth putting all his work to the side for a bit and meet Yagyuu outside for dinner. It was always much, much better to nip the problem in the bud.

The bespectacled man slumped down in relief after his former vice-captain had agreed to talk over dinner. To tell the truth he had not wanted to call the other, but he really did not understand why Niou seemed to be putting distance between them and avoiding interaction which she normally enjoyed. He had then decided that he needed the advice of someone more experienced in this, and Sanada, at that point in time, seemed to be just the person to call.

"When Yukimura-kun seems to be avoiding you nearly all the time and seems suspicious of your whereabouts, what does it mean?"

Seriously. Who was he, a love therapist? The raven sighed, trying to think.

"I don't quite remember it ever happening…but I suppose it could be because you have done something to make the other act that way."

Yagyuu seemed to contemplate something, then spoke.

"…what kind of things?"

"Well…what would make you suspicious of Niou?"

Yukimura was enjoying a nice, hot latte in a cozy little café as he continued sketching his new design, his inspiration practically suspended in the aura around him. He was on a roll today, and wanted to quickly finish it up, striking while the iron was hot. Ah, tennis-related designs (and thinking of ways to torture that bitch that flirted with Sanada the other day) always did put him in a good mood. The bluenette was just finishing up his shading when he heard his message tone.

"Hello, Sei-nii."

He wondered what it was all about until he looked up to see Niou sitting opposite him, subsequently getting a heart attack, the shock of his life, and the experience of stumbling back and nearly falling from his chair all in a matter of seconds. It took him a while to recover from the shock.

"H-Haru! W-When did you get here?"

"Just."

Yukimura sighed and sat back down, closing his sketchbook. The silverette woman slumped a little in her seat.

"It's…Hiroshi."

"What about Yagyuu? Is he cheating on you?"

Now, if only he could stop hitting so close to the bullseye.

"No. Um I mean…I'm not too sure…"

In the bluenette ex-captain's head, the Gentleman had already died about a million times over due to loss of senses and extreme tennis-related wounds. In reality, the effeminate man simply nodded.

"A woman."

One nod.

"A woman sexier and prettier than you."

Two nods, and a thundercloud.

"A woman not only sexier and prettier than you, but can also make Yagyuu react somehow."

Two nods, a hesitant third one, and a bigger thundercloud.

Yukimura packed his things and stood up, smiling.

"I suppose Yanagi could do without his Maths HOD…" he cracked his knuckles.

The silverette woman 's eyes widened at the realization of what her godbrother was about to do to her beloved and she quickly grabbed onto his leg with both arms.

"NOOOOOOO! DON'T KILL HIM, SEI-NIIIIII!"

Suddenly, all eyes in the café were on them and they stood frozen to their awkward positions for a few moments. The barista behind the counter had even left his cup of hot chocolate overflowing, covering his own hand with brown sweetness. Niou quickly withdrew her arms as the bluenette sat back down, the both of them with a light blush on their faces. He looked up thoughtfully once the awkwardness had worn off a bit.

"I suppose it would be more merciful for me to use cyanide…"

"S-Sei-nii!"

Yagyuu sneezed three times in a row, muttering an 'excuse me' as he turned to the side. The other male waited patiently.

"I think it would be better if you ask Niou what's bothering…her. At least then you can be sure of exactly what is causing this rift between the two of you."

The purple-haired man seemed to have gone completely still, and Sanada wondered if he had turned into an actual statue when he spoke.

"I…want to remain a normal, healthy male with nothing missing."

And he thought an angry and jealous Yukimura was scary. Wait…jealous?

"Yagyuu…have you ever thought that Niou might be jealous?"

The blank look the other had on made the raven want to slap something…or someone. Come on, he thought to himself. Think of Seiichi, think of Seiichi, think of Seiichi…and at last he was calm. He exhaled.

Yukimura decided, that he was secretly being filmed, and that everything was being made into some kind of highly anticipated sappy romance drama, which would be released within the next few months. At which point in time he would personally march up to the director's office, take away all of his or her senses, and make him or her regret ever doing it. Yeah, that sounded like a mighty fine idea.

Too bad it was not true.

"Look Haru, much as I want to kill him for even making you feel this way, I have to look at this from his point of view too."

Well, no one ever told Yukimura that there had to be bloodshed.

"I know…but how am I going to ask…"

"Isn't it just like the time you confessed to him?"

Niou's head snapped up, shocked sea-green meeting a gentle sapphire blue. That was so many years back, and the circumstances had not been pleasant. She looked away, clutching her skirt.

"…it's not."

The silverette could feel Yukimura's palm pressing against her own. Compared to hers, his was warmer, and his fingers were a tad longer, masculine compared to her dainty ones. The woman stared at their hands, sighing.

"I can tell you it is. But this time, say it in his face- and throw in a slap if necessary."

Niou sweatdropped.

"A…slap?"

**xXEternallyXx**

Riko had been annoying Yagyuu after every single workday of the week for a few weeks running. It seemed that no matter how ridiculously early or late he tried to leave in order to avoid her, it did not work. It came to the point whereby he had to avoid her at every opportunity, even resorting to changing directions when she was coming from the opposite one even if it might make him late for his next class. It was even harder to make time pass when Niou kept ignoring him for no reason and always disappeared together with Shiharu during lunchtime.

The end of the workday always seemed to come too soon nowadays.

The HOD could take it no longer and whirled around to face Riko when they were outside the school gates.

"Stop following me, Riko Kiyami-san."

"You know you like it."

He sighed for what must be the umpteenth time that day.

"I admit, you're beautiful, and you have what many men want. But like I said before, I really am not interested in you."

The brunette woman simply stared a little up at him, and he badly wanted to just turn and leave. But then that would be really rude. She suddenly closed in on Yagyuu, as the man processed what was happening…though it was much too late.

Niou could take it no longer. Sure, she was mad at Hiroshi for not coming clean with her, but Yukimura was right. Maybe he did have his own reasons and just had no idea how to explain everything to her. That must be it. The silverette decided that she would listen to every single bit of his explanation for the tension between them for the past few weeks. And hopefully he would listen to her too.

…she spoke too soon.

Yagyuu Hiroshi…was kissing Riko Kiyami. A bastard kissing a bitch. She should have known…she should have known! It was her stupidity and naivety that made her even begin to think otherwise. She could barely bring herself to move, even after Riko had let go and blown the man a kiss before skipping off.

The megane knew it was too late to step back when he felt those disgusting lips pounce eagerly on his. He had closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the one in front of him. Her grip had been strong, pulling on his tie and he could not find it in himself to push her away. He was grounded in shock as she pulled away, and he reached to touch his lips.

"Yagyuu Hiroshi."

He had this horrible swirling feeling in his stomach, that Niou had seen every single bit of what happened. The purple-haired man had turned to look at his lover, at her sparkling eyes, her tear-stained face, and her upturned lips. Her face was slightly red, and not in a good way.

"I never knew you could be such a cheating, lying and conniving bastard."

A loud slap resounded in the still air.

* * *

**I still can't believe how much I strayed from my intended storyline. I followed my notes halfway and then thought "AH, TO HECK WITH THE DANG THING!" and threw it to the side.**

**I also have to admit though, that I was probably on high when I wrote the middle part of the chapter. Or maybe it's because my exams have just ended.**

**That being said, I find the mental image of the Alpha pair as love gurus thoroughly amusing. What do you think?**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**


	11. A hidden past and future

**Um…quick update much?**

**Well I suppose I should keep this short. Cuz I realized my readers could care less about the boring and insignificant life of this crazy, insane authoress *sighs sadly and emos ***

**I would like to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Yanagi Hanabusa^^ You've been an awesome friend, and one of the reasons my new chap is up so fast. I ought to get shot for not being able to finish that Kinky Pair oneshot I promised you on time *is shot many times* To Hanabusa: I promise to finish it up soon!**

**Disclaimer: Of course I own POT, and Akaya's a feminine girl. **

**Warning(s): Repeated use of the word 'idiot', shounen-ai, homicidal!Yukimura, general insanity and slight OOCness if you see it that way…add more if you deem fit.**

* * *

She was supposed to try and run, and he was supposed to try and stop her.

Instead, she had just walked off and he was still rooted, watching her silhouette get smaller, and smaller, then disappear completely. Yagyuu could only continue staring after his lover, and probably soon-to-be ex-lover, knowing everything just had to be his fault somehow. Regretting was a weak way of facing the problem, but at the moment it was not like he had a choice. A slap had never felt any less painful, and his heart any more.

Against everything, Niou had gone back to their house. Beads of moisture marked her ruffled skirt, and her chest ached. She doubted if it was because of running.

_Hanako sat down beside her companion. A person's mind hid nothing, and she silently gazed upon Niou, whose head was hanging down, eyes empty. _

"_So what are you going to do, Masaharu?"_

_The silverette's physical body was crying, but his mind was not. His unfazed expression was betrayed only by his irritatingly expressive eyes, and he finally looked up- but not at Hanako. His sea-green eyes instead travelled over every inch of his glowing emerald. Niou reached up high with that arm._

"_I…saw them. I saw him meeting her after school, every single day. If he no longer felt anything for me then why didn't he just say so?"_

_An angry pebble attacked the calm water surface, sending it into a frenzy of irregular ripples. The thrower relaxed from his pose, and just slumped down, staring at the woman pleadingly. To be lost was such a horrible feeling._

"_Tell me what to do, Masahira."_

_Hanako did not reply, choosing instead to lace their fingers together, observing the differences between them, down to the last fingernail._

"_You wait."_

_Wait? What crazy nonsense was that woman spouting about now? Niou could not understand how waiting could ever solve anything. He saw what happened. Yagyuu had been meeting that…thing, for so many weeks! He had even kissed her, and actually looked like he enjoyed it. The Trickster no longer knew who was to blame anymore._

_Riko Kiyami, for her stupid good looks and stupid lustful desires?_

_Yagyuu Hiroshi, for his utter and complete betrayal?_

_Or…himself, for…come to think of it, what exactly?_

"…_for what? Wait for what?" he challenged. The other simply stood up, and tossed a pebble, her expertise far outclassing him._

"_When you have someone, you see no one else but him. He too, sees no one but you. And when someone else tries to intrude upon your little bubble of happiness, that is when the strength of your relationship is put to the test."_

_Hanako personally thought that Niou, was seriously an idiot. She had been seeing everything through his eyes, and knew this was yet another screwed up misunderstanding. It had happened too many times to her that it was impossible not to know. If only those two bigots would suck up that darn boy's pride and just talked it out calmly, over some nice, cool strawberry milk. You know, because strawberry milk was the answer to everything._

_He scowled._

"_Then it would seem ours wasn't strong enough to survive."_

"_Or…that you are just afraid everything really is real, and that he truly wants to leave you for that woman."_

_Why were people hitting so close to the bullseye nowadays?_

"…_yes."_

_The silverette woman nodded, letting go of the other's hand._

"_You know…everything that happens between a couple is known to everyone around them except themselves. Ironic, but proven one too many times. What I see is two immature people who are too prideful to admit they were wrong."_

_Niou scoffed and turned away._

_Hanako twitched, holding out her (already becoming famous) tree branch._

"_Or would you like me to change that to one?"_

_Faced with such a difficult (and horribly cruel- Niou) decision, the poor man could only sigh exasperatedly, wondering why the world hated him. Or, just one Hanako Masahira in particular._

**xXEternallyXx**

When Yagyuu looked at the caller ID, he was struck with two thoughts.

One, he remembered, that he had someone else he feared more than Riko and Niou.

Two, why oh why had he been so stupid as to put off writing his will?

Unfortunately, there was no turning back. Ignoring the call would only make the caller even angrier, and for this particular caller, angrier meant something worse than death. The man gulped a little as he pressed a button, and tried to maintain a steady voice.

"Moshi moshi, Yukimura-kun."

"Hello Yagyuu."

For some reason it was starting to feel really chilly.

"Um…"

"Yes, I did call because of Masaharu. Mind explaining why she called me in tears just a few minutes ago, wailing something about using cyanide and useless slaps?"

"…what?"

He was supposed to be scared shitless at the moment because this was Yukimura, the big-older-godbrother-who-would-kill-anyone-who-dared-to-hurt-his-little-baby-godbrother(?). But in all honesty, that was an unexpected question.

There seemed to be a slight sigh from the other end, before the feminine voice started to speak once more.

"…forget that. Anyway, you'd better have an explanation, _Gentleman_."

That voice. That sadistic voice. Yagyuu wanted to live. He really did.

"I kissed another woman."

"…I see."

There was silence for some moments.

"But there must be more, right? I doubt you would suddenly kiss some other woman other than Haru for no reason at all."

The megane breathed a sigh of relief, shouting in his head a "Thank God!" (no pun intended), before launching into an explanation. He made it straightforward, without missing any details, eventually ending with an apology, as he waited for the decree of Judge Yukimura.

"Does she know?"

"No."

There was some noise in the background- Yagyuu guessed it was Sanada returning home. The bluenette said a few incoherent things to him before he came back onto the phone.

"Ah, pardon me for the interruption. Well in any case, I think it would be better to have the both of you hate one person instead of hating each other, no?"

The Gentleman nodded slightly before realizing Yukimura could not see it, and muttered an agreement. There was exchange of greetings from both sides before the phone was put down.

As he looked up at his house, and thought about what he would say, Yagyuu just somehow knew, that everything was gonna be alright. They fought hard to get to where they were today and he would be damned if he let one woman tear them apart like that.

**xXEternallyXx**

Sanada felt his tense muscles relax as he felt that familiar and gentle embrace envelope him from behind. He inhaled lightly, enjoying that mild vanilla scent.

"…Yagyuu, I assume?"

"And Haru."

The both of them paused- then sighed simultaneously. Really, that couple was the typical mismatched one, and quite a handful. Yukimura pulled his lover to face him by the tie and crashed his lips against the other, savouring the unique taste that was Sanada. The briefcase was left forgotten as they engaged in a passionate battle of dominance, not being able to get enough of each other.

The raven felt almost disappointed when the bluenette broke their kiss saying that they had a proper dinner waiting for them in the kitchen. Sanada seriously wondered, why he would always give in to his ex-captain. As he stared after the practically skipping Yukimura into the kitchen…

…he thought, damn Yukimura better be prepared to give him the desert he so deserved.

Niou walked past the shops decked out in gear for the rather chilly evening. Even after all that…she just did not feel ready enough to confront Yagyuu about everything. It felt like a wonderful night to be out and hence here she was, observing the scene around her. That middle-aged couple asking their teenage children about their day over dinner, and that cute little girl trying to walk a golden retriever at least 3 times her size on her own.

It got really boring after a while, however. She leaned against an empty wall and started dialing.

"Moshi moshi, Hiroshi."

"M-Masaharu?" came the stuttered reply from the other end. The silverette had to refrain from laughing.

"W-Well, where were you?"

"I'm outside, genius. Should we…talk?"

Niou only heard the sounds of the traffic before the other spoke.

"Only if you wish to."

She looked around, phone still at her ear, and zeroed in on the first eatery she saw.

"You know that café…yeah that one…no no, the one opposite…ok, meet you there in a few."

The first thing one Niou Masaharu did when she saw her lover again, was something that she felt absolutely proud of. Or more like something Sanada would feel proud of if he had seen it.

She did backhand him- on the opposite cheek.

Yagyuu thought, that he might want to rearrange the order of some people in his 'People I Am Scared Of' list. There was some serious inaccuracy in it.

Niou on the other hand, was thinking completely different thoughts. She was so conflicted, on one hand wanting to forgive Yagyuu and on another hand wanting to kick him right smack in the shin and tell him to leave her alone. What Hanako and Yukimura had said made perfect sense now. She had been too stupid for acting without thinking, while he was stupid too for letting her get away with it.

Her inner turmoil together with her actions earlier had earned her some strange looks from everyone else. It was not as if she really noticed or cared though.

"…and following that, she just suddenly forced a kiss on me. That's all there is to it."

The Trickster was still not maintaining eye contact with Yagyuu, and that continued to unsettle him. Even with the chatter all about, it seemed kind of quiet. The silverette sighed and held up her fork between the both of them.

"Yanagi…he told me something."

She twirled the utensil around.

"Something, about a pest in the Math department of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Chuu."

There was a clink as the bespectacled man put down his cup of tea, still listening intently.

"He also told me, that someone is gonna have to get rid of…it."

Niou emphasized on the "it", before stabbing what was left of her poor meat patty with the fork, then leaving it there, all the while smirking. At the same time, she threw a challenging gaze to the person sitting to the opposite of her. Said person shifted his glasses, supporting his left cheek with his fingers, elbow on the table.

"Of course. Someone is going to get hurt. But that person, will definitely not be me."

With that, he threw an equally challenging gaze back.

The woman raised her eyebrow, but said nothing as she sat up straight and continued with her dinner. Yagyuu did the same, and it was not until after their dishes were cleared and the desserts ordered that Niou spoke once again.

"I believe you, Yagyuu Hiroshi. I was at fault too, and I'm really sorry I slapped you…though this apology only applies to the one outside the school gates."

In other words, she had slapped him right in front of everyone at the entrance of the café just for the sake of it. Oh how the man wanted to bury himself in a hole and never see the daylight again.

"Apology accepted. So…the plan?"

"Who do you think I am?" she tapped the right side of her head.

Yagyuu felt the urge to smile tug on his lips, and he gave in to it gladly. Perhaps things would start looking up now, now that the misunderstanding had been cleared.

"But until the day she signs the resignation forms, nothing is official between us."

Maybe, he spoke a little too early. The Gentleman was not one to be perturbed by just this, however.

"Then I shall make 'us' unquestionable."

The woman smiled.

"But of course."

Their shared dessert had never tasted any sweeter.

**xXEternallyXx**

Kirihara Akaya had a weakness.

He absolutely could not refuse any requests from any of his senpai-tachi, try as he might. There was a reason he kept helping Niou with his pranks even long after Yukimura had tried to reason with him and restrain Sanada from over-slapping their favourite junior.

So when his Yanagi-senpai and Yukimura-buchou had asked something of him, he knew he was so screwed because there was once again, no way he could ever refuse. The mere thought of letting the Troika down made him so jumpy around the office that his superior finally had enough and slammed down on his own desk with enough force to make anyone within hearing range jump about 2 meters into the air.

"Kirihara. Akaya. What, is the meaning of this?"

That look left no room for acting innocent. Oh, Akaya recognized that look. It was the 'you'd-better-tell-me-the-truth-or-suffer-my-ultimate-wrath' look. Why oh why did his superior have to act so much like Yukimura?

The young man tripped over his own feet twice, bumped into a colleague, and dropped his files once before he managed to get to his rather pissed (and thoroughly amused) superior's desk. There was some snickering at the photocopiers where a few of the other journalists were lining up for their turn.

"Um…well I kind of have a request…"

Akaya whispered frantically to his superior, acting as if his wife was in labour with their first child, which was completely illogical since he did not even have a girlfriend, much less a wife. The listening superior nodded time and again throughout the whole thing, grinning his widest when the curly-haired man was done.

He started laughing heartily, clapping his star journalist on the back hard enough to make the other stumble a little.

"If you wanted to write something on Rikkai Dai, all you had to do was ask! No need to act as if you just slept with Kane's wife!"

The entire office was unforgivingly tossed into the deepest depths of silence.

Kane's voice suddenly piped out from a corner.

"H-He did?"

Akaya wondered momentarily whether or not he would be sent to jail for trying to kill his boss. In all honesty he would be doing everyone a favour. He felt a tick mark at the back of his head and turned to face the corner (where was Kane anyway? Under all that paper?), pointing with his index finger.

"Of course not, baka-Kane!"

And then suddenly, all the younger reporters were all over him as they bombarded him with questions regarding the famous Rikkai Dai boys' tennis team (which by the way was still famous), and their all-star cohort. The poor guy wondered why this was still happening even after so many years of leaving the famed tennis club.

A couple of interns who had witnessed the whole thing, had second thoughts about submitting their portfolios to this company. They happened to value their sanity, thank you very much. Perhaps it would be better if they searched for another sports magazine instead.

When Yanagi saw Akaya making his way over to his and Yukimura's table and then slumping down in a depressed heap, he did not say a word. Instead, his companion chuckled and patted the younger one's head. The green-eyed man looked up.

"You won't believe what happened today…"

Yanagi opened his mouth to say something.

"…and Yanagi-senpai, please don't."

He shut it.

"Akaya…did you get permission?" Yukimura asked, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Said person nodded.

"Hai. He said he's looking forward to it, considering the one writing it used to be part of the oh-so-famous team."

The sophomore ace (so the ex-team still called him) could not suppress a smile as memories of those days flooded back. Sure, there were Niou's tricks, Marui's teasing and Sanada's slaps…but those were nothing compared to the fun he had playing the one sport he knew he would never forget no matter what.

"That's good to know. I've already told Marui that he can do what he likes…but I do hope the crowd he brings does not come only to see him."

The three at the table twitched a little at the mental of fangirls drooling over and cheering for no one other than Marui. HOW DARE THEY! Yukimura's aura suddenly turned black as he started dialing a number on his phone. Yanagi and Akaya immediately grabbed onto his hands.

"Seiichi/ Yukimura-buchou! We need him alive…"

The aura was gone as soon as it had come. It was amazing yet creepy how he managed to calm down so fast. Must be a Sanada thing. The two lovebirds seemed to have some sort of mysterious calming effect on one another. It was then that Akaya turned his head…

…only to meet his ex-fukubuchou in the eye.

"UWAAAAHH!"

It took all Kirihara had to prevent himself from falling backwards in his chair onto the floor.

"F-Fukubuchou? When did you get there?"

Apparently, sneaking up on people randomly then scaring half their lives off was a Troika thing. Even Sanada had somehow learnt the art of it over the years. It was definitely Yukimura's work. It had to be. At least, Akaya's logic told him that.

"Tarundoru. Getting scared by such a miniscule thing."

Suddenly sneaking in to sit beside Yukimura without anyone looking or noticing was far from something miniscule. The youngest of the group sighed. There would be no point going against one of the most stoic rocks of all time. Wait, stoic rocks? Where did that come from? Ah, maybe it's that Sanada rock the ex-fukubuchou kept carrying around with him during his tennis-playing and slapping days.

The meet-up in the small restaurant made for a perfect opportunity to catch up on the most recent events. Like for example Sanada's probable promotion if he managed to handle his next assignment well, and Yukimura's upcoming exhibition. Yanagi also said something about the Ocean Festival (an event that conjured up horrific memories for poor Akaya). The curly-haired man said that his only major assignment at the moment was to finish up that report on the exhibition matches on time so that as much publicity could be generated as possible.

They did not know how long they had been chatting, but the orange rays of the late sun streaming in through the windows gave the answer. As always, the sole bluenette among them held on tightly to Sanada's hand as they made their way out of the place, drawing a fair amount of attention. The remaining two of the group let out sighs at the scene before they too stood up to leave as well.

Kirihara did not know why, but he was walking alongside the Data Master (Yanagi had told him not to call him that anymore, but he did not care), and the path looked like it was never going to end. At the least, it would seem longer if he carried on hearing nothing but the rustling of leaves for the next few minutes.

"Neh, Yanagi-senpai."

The tall brunette turned to look at his junior.

"Yes?"

"We've had so many gatherings over the years…but we never really talked with each other personally during those times right?"

Yanagi seemed to think for a while, before nodding.

"Indeed. It has been 11 years, 3 months and 12 days since then."

As the rays lightly reflected off one Kirihara Akaya's face, Yanagi really did wonder, why on Earth had he not noticed how much the other had grown? His jaw was now sharper, his eyes a tad smaller, and his gaze just that much more mature than before. Had his child-like innocence left him too, over the course of the decade?

"As expected of you, senpai. Also," he put his hands in his pockets, "…I know Santa Claus does not exist."

Of course it had. He could not stay fourteen forever, none of them could. The Master understood only then why his sister always reminisced about her younger days (until his ears were in danger of falling off from overexposure to female chatter), because once gone, they were never coming back.

The sky had been the canvas for someone unusually happy that day. Streaks of red, orange, and every variation of them in the colour wheel had been painted across the vast space. It really only seemed like yesterday when Yukimura sent him on 'bring Akaya home safely' duty when said boy was so beat after practice that he could hardly stand.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Akaya?"

The sudden question had the other stumped for a few moments, before he started walking again.

"What are you talking about? I have no time for whiny, squealing girls to cling onto me all day."

The brunette let out a smile at that.

"Not all girls are like fangirls, Akaya. You might find yourself falling for someone you least expect."

Yanagi received no answer to that question.

The pair parted ways at the crossroads, pleasantly surprised at the proximity of their houses. They were neighbours, and yet neither noticed. Yanagi believed, that his data was getting rusty.

He was the principal of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Chuu, a career he had least expected to choose. Up till now, Yanagi had few regrets that really mattered to him. The brunette continued staring after his junior until he was out of sight, and then slowly trudged his way home.

The journey home that day felt sad…and oddly peaceful.

**xXEternallyXx**

It had been days since the reunion, but Marui felt like everything had happened only hours before.

Sure, he was happy that Niou was back after they thought he had left them forever. He was so happy that their team could be complete again, and so happy that Yukimura's smile was back. Yet, his…her appearance, had brought to surface what he thought he had buried for good all those years ago, when he saw how passionately Yagyuu had kissed the silverette in his last moments.

Marui Bunta was still in love with Niou Masaharu.

He scolded himself. It was a futile hope. Back then, when disaster had not struck, he could still hope that the Trickster would choose him. Now, none of that was possible, and his heart still held on. It was not Hanako's body he was looking at, it was just plain old Niou that had made his heart race. Yukimura had called him a while back, telling him a little about said silverette's issue with Yagyuu, and asking for a little advice.

It was terribly selfish of him, but a chance it was nonetheless. The redhead sat on the edge of his couch as he selected a name in his contacts list and held the phone to his ear.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Um…hi Niou…"

He was an idiot.

"…Marui? It's you right? Why did you call?"

"Your name was on my contacts list…"

Screw that, he was a huge idiot.

"...I believe you have a more logical reason."

The caller sighed, and he switched sides.

"Yes. I have something I want to tell you…are you free tomorrow?"

"Sure. Place and time?"

Marui thought for a bit, and snapped his fingers when he got it.

"Let's see…that ice-cream parlor? The one where we used to hang out, remember? At around 11 am?"

He could hear Niou laughing.

"Of course…that place. How could I forget? See you then."

Even thought she promptly hung up on him after that, Marui could not have felt any happier. His first crush never left, and in his bed that night, he wondered exactly what did he want to accomplish by doing all this. Sleep seemed to avoid him for most of the night.

"Masaharu…where are you going?"

Said silverette slipped on her second earring as she turned to look at him.

"Out."

"With whom?"

She picked up her bag, taking one last glance of herself in the mirror.

"Marui."

Yagyuu exhaled, grabbing the other's shoulder as she passed him by the doorway. Their gazes met- his pleading and hers neutral. The man forced himself to let go, standing there until the footsteps disappeared and he could hear the door closing. The megane punched the wall, but it was far from satisfying.

For some reason he felt that he was going to face even more obstacles in trying to win back Niou's trust. Just thinking about it made him feel uneasy somehow.

The ambience of the parlor was peaceful, the simple décor enough to make people feel at home. It had been a pretty new establishment back when the Rikkai tennis team was just about to graduate, having the fortune of lasting over a decade and counting. Marui was already waiting at the table when his companion came in a very cute elbow sleeve dress with matching ribbon heels. She even turned a few heads.

Thankfully, the redhead had the few seconds which Niou took to seat herself, to regain his composure.

"You look pretty cute today."

So says the one who was no longer just a huge idiot but a super huge idiot.

"Thanks."

Both ordered identical strawberry smoothies (to which the silverette had shrugged and muttered something about Hanako), and there were only sounds of sipping for a while.

"You know…Yagyuu was never good with desserts."

The woman continued sipping, but showed that she was listening.

"Back when we were third years…he didn't even know what white chocolate truffle was."

Marui had left his smoothie untouched since he started speaking, and Niou only joined him now. The contents of the two glasses had an obvious difference in height.

"You're trying to tell me something."

He nodded, maybe a tad too eagerly, as those beautiful lilac eyes stared only at her.

"The Gentleman sure as hell didn't give you those truffles back then."

The woman seemed to think for a bit, before slowly tilting her head when she did remember, brows a little furrowed.

"Who did then?" she asked softly.

It was not often that Marui Bunta put on a serious face. Even when breaking humourless and important news, he could always throw in a smile or a twinkle of his eyes, and get away with it. It was a talent of his, and probably one of selling points as the star male model of his agency. He had that expression on now, as he dropped his gaze to his lap.

"I did."

Niou supposed the revelation of it all did not come as shockingly to her as expected. That very day, on the fourteenth of February, there had been complete chaos in the locker room. It was not until Sanada had 'vice-captain-glared' at every single female in the vicinity that the team had peace. The silverette, as that young boy, had found this small box at the back of her locker that somehow stood out. There was no note attached to it, and it contained white chocolate truffles, one of her (his?) favourite desserts.

So the Gentleman actually did have the right to look puzzled when he had thanked him after practice that day. Because it had not been him in the first place.

The woman felt a stray tear slide down her cheek, and she reached out to wipe it away, staring at her now wet fingertips. The atmosphere had suddenly gotten too stifling, choking the very air out of her. She had once thought that remembering her relationship with Yagyuu was painful.

But…what was that compared to what this man in front of her had felt, for so many years? Even now, she could not find it in herself to look him in the face.

"I like you, Niou Masaharu. I have always loved you, and I still do now."

She could feel the warmth of his larger hand on hers, but she did not pull away.

"You should have…told me. You should have just gathered up your damn pathetic courage and told me!"

Marui had the gall to look surprised at her outburst, staring at her. She continued, not having finished yet.

"…things. Things might actually have been different!"

There was no one within hearing range, and for that Niou was immensely grateful.

"I know. To try and claim back what I had lost to someone else was impossible from the start. Still, I had to try. No matter who I dated, no matter how hard I tried…everyone I saw looked like you!"

The redhead actually looked adorable when crying, but that was to his disadvantage as the woman held onto the hand he had placed on top of hers, gripping it tight.

"Marui…look at me."

Green met purple.

"You may not know this, but I'm thinking…"

He blinked in confusion, frowning.

"…of breaking up with Yagyuu."

* * *

***Runs to hide behind Hanabusa*Don't kill me! D;**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**

**Posted: 15/05/2012 (dd/mm/yyyy)**


	12. Gold dust

**I dedicate this chapter to ChitoseSenri-senpai and Cysil-Requiem, for being the ever-loyal fellow ffnet authoresses (fangirls) of one Yanagi Renji.**

**This chapter is Platinum-less, which might actually be good, since I can focus on the other members of Rikkai. It is kind of Yanagi and Kirihara-centric, since I feel that the two of them need to have a story too.**

**Disclaimer: Do you see NiouYagyuu action in the anime? I don't.**

**Warning(s): Sombre mood, emo!Yanagi and emo!Kirihara, Inui (I fail to see how he is dangerous in this but I shall put this here anyway) and slight OOCness if you see it that way…add more if you deem fit.**

* * *

Perhaps he had made the wrong decision this time.

Yanagi had been certain that Niou would have been able to tackle Riko Kiyami and have her out of the school voluntarily within two weeks at the most, and look how that turned out. His top Maths teachers were barely on speaking terms and he was receiving more and more complaints about…that woman.

It really made him wonder, how he could have overlooked something like that. Looking back, he should have expected, even anticipated something like this happening, but no. Something inside him stung. Yes, he was guilty for causing the rift between the newly reunited couple but that was not quite what nagged at him. It was the realization that he could not quite see or predict everything anymore.

He was once the Data Master of Rikkai, with the most flawless data tennis style among his age group, outclassing even Inui (that Kantou match was an exception), ensuring no one else would even hope of standing on even ground. The brunette could predict how everything would go, even certain events everyone least expected. The praise he received for his accuracy and perception stroked his pride, and even though he never let it get to his head, he did not allow anyone to insult him using what he was so proud of. The data made him unique, made him stand out, and perhaps deep inside, he actually loved that.

Maybe these 11 years, and perhaps even longer, were a dream. Yanagi had been living in a dream since the day he picked up tennis and he was only waking up now. The hammer of time had shattered a hole in the otherwise perfect, but fragile shield that he had built up. How could he not have realized that there was such a big, gaping hole there until then? It was completely illogical.

It was with shock that he found that he had been living in the past. The racket frame that he had not touched for years was still in a drawer in his office desk. He still had a few of those old notebooks and club records lying around on one of the shelves.

Suddenly, the air around him had a hard time getting into his lungs.

Yagyuu was not the one who had been living in the past- he was. And that very fact was breaking him.

Perhaps that conversation with Akaya had finally knocked some sense into him, splashed the ice cold water he so needed onto his face. Even the little immature brat had grown up, more mentally than physically, and moved on. Yukimura had put down tennis, what had been his life, and also moved on. Yanagi too, had put down tennis. But he had not done so with the same resolve that his ex-captain did. He felt like a baby- grubby little hands desperately clutching onto something that would slip away sooner or later.

These thoughts perturbed him for the entire day, and it passed by in a blur. Next thing he knew, the sky was a brilliant orange and he was on his way home. The brunette checked his phone- something he had not done so since morning, and smiled.

There was a text from his fellow ex-data player from Seigaku, Inui Sadaharu. How long had it been since they last had contact, a few months?

It was night by the time he had completed his essential activities for the day, as he picked up his home phone, dialing from memory.

"Moshi moshi, Inui Sadaharu speaking."

He did not sound like he had changed much.

"Good evening, Sadaharu."

"Renji?" there was surprise evident in his voice.

"Yes. It has been a long time since we phoned each other like this. How have you been, Doctor?"

As childhood friends, one often saw the sides of another that he often did not show to others and kept hidden. Yanagi smiled a little into the receiver as he heard a slight chuckle on the other end.

"Indeed, I believe it has been 3 months and 13 days since then, Professor. I have been fine."

Crisp and to the point as per usual.

"I guess we have both been busy with our jobs…don't even have time for tennis anymore. It seems almost sad how it has disappeared almost completely from all our lives."

"There is a 98.2 percent chance that you called to ask me something."

Yanagi paused as he toyed with all the different ways of posing his question.

"I did, Sadaharu. I wanted to ask if you were in a relationship."

That…came out much easier than expected. It seemed the other side was in deep thought, and feeling awkward himself, the brunette was about to apologise and hang up until he heard the other speak.

"Don't hang up, Renji. To answer your question, yes, I am indeed in a relationship."

They were once best friends, doubles partners. They too were once rivals, two sides of a coin attempting to overthrow the other. Then they became long distance friends, the kind you know you can call up even at midnight and they would not get mad. With their different locations, such a friendship could only be maintained this far, and over the years…Yanagi felt that the distance had only widened.

He expected it, really. It was not the feeling of regret the attacked him, because the two were purely platonic friends and nothing more than that. Only, to the Master, he somehow got the feeling he had lost the friend he truly knew somewhere along the way.

"I see. Congratulations, Sadaharu. If I may ask…who is the lucky person?"

His voice never wavered. That was the way they had always conversed over the telephone how it was going to remain. The two always knew what to say, what to answer, and what to expect.

"I had the idea you should have known before calling me. I am rather disappointed."

Inui's tone was playful and teasing, though it only served to pinch something in his friend's chest.

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry."

No he was not sorry. He had just woken up without a single idea of what was happening around him. His fellow ex-data player must have noticed the slight change in his tone, however.

"…Renji? Are you alright?"

As if he could be alright the way things were now.

"I'm fine. Maybe just a little tired."

Yanagi Renji was the biggest liar in history. At least, the other great liars in history had a reason to lie. The Seigaku alumni cleared his throat.

"You have always been a bad liar. At least remember that."

For some reason that statement pinched a lot less than the other one.

"I never forgot, Sadaharu. Maybe it's because I never forgot, that I'm feeling so miserable right now."

Yanagi clenched his left fist, observing the movement of the muscles underneath the skin.

"Perhaps you have confused what being confused and what being miserable means."

The brunette cracked open an eye to stare at the mirror that sat atop his study desk. He looked pale with all that fluorescent light coming from the table lamp, much like a mannequin. And his eyes…they were staring back at themselves, the brown orbs dancing about with shreds of emotions.

"To transcend the past…why can't I do it?"

It was what he had told Inui during that match in the Kantou finals.

"You can't."

Inui Sadaharu was known for being a brutally honest man when it came to opinions. His ex-doubles partner was his direct and utmost opposite…Yanagi mused to himself. He had wished that the other would have at least tried to have more tact.

"Not unless you remember. It is easy to see that you are not one to let go of the past so easily, but what I see right now is the complete opposite of what you see. You think your problem right now is not being able to let go of the past. I suppose I don't deny that, but I thought I ought to tell you. I have that problem too, and so does everyone who has ever had a childhood, a past just like we did."

What did he mean it was not because he could not let go of the past?

"I can't move forward like this."

"Yes, you can't. A past is not meant to be forgotten…only surpassed, and transcended like you said. Professor, you need to realize that you are not alone in this."

"I've always been alone."

Alone was a very subjective word. As he looked around his room, then his ceiling, and heard just how empty his apartment was, he knew no word could better describe it. He was in no way isolated. Just…lonely.

"I thought so. Though before anything, you might want to search through that head of yours, if only to find that you never had empty air around you."

The Nationals. The three consecutive victories. Their dreams, their goals. There had never been empty air around him. It was always one of his team standing beside him, filling up his voids.

Seiichi, at that time when he forcefully plucked Yanagi's notebook from his hands and told him to memorise everything instead.

Genichirou, at that time when he had stood uncomfortably close to the brunette, only taking off after he had handed something to Yanagi. That something had been the notebook Yukimura confiscated.

Marui, at that time when he still had stamina issues, when his eyes burned with that vigor and he kept on going with those abnormally heavy weights. He never reached Jackal's level, but he had been well on his way.

Jackal, at that time when his skin colour gave him social issues, and Marui was his only close friend.

Yagyuu, at that time when he had been dragged by Niou to watch the tennis club in his first year, and also that time he finally joined, extending that polite smile of his to every member of the team.

Niou, at that time when he found entertainment in scrawling 'puri' all over Sanada's beloved family stone, as well as when he spiked Marui's cake with pepper. The Master had been the one to keep count as the Trickster ran all of (nah, he ran the other half the next day) the 500 laps.

Akaya…oh yes Akaya. At that time, he had been that reckless first year who seemed to set his goals too high. He had fallen like so many others at the Troika's feet, but unlike the others which he refused to be classified with, he stood back up and challenged them again and again. There was no stopping him until he reached where he wanted, and that was the top. Akaya had been childish, and only started caring for his grades when his club membership was in jeopardy and that time Niou…had left. The boy really looked up to Yanagi. To him, this senpai was not just a senpai. He was a mentor, a brother, a teammate, a rival, and even his parent. Other than Jackal, he was the only one who had the ability to calm the younger one down.

Maybe, just maybe…that was what brunette missed. He wanted to feel needed again. He wanted someone to look up to him, knowing why and how he got to where he was. His team had filled his voids back then. Yet one by one, they were becoming empty once more.

The man smiled a little bitterly.

"Yes. I never had empty air around me."

"So you realized."

"And Sadaharu…the one you're dating is Kaidou-kun, is it not?"

If Yanagi's eyes had been open, they would have been glinting mischieviously. Inui coughed.

"I do not deny that. I suppose my data has yet to beat yours."

"I would not be too sure about that. I just based my prediction off what I knew from years back."

"Oh really? Still, you had to have skill to even obtain that piece of information in the first place."

It was then Yanagi looked at his digital clock, the blinking colon spreading attention to the numbers beside it. He had not called his childhood friend at a time that could be considered early, but they had to have chatted for long if it was already past midnight.

"…it's late. How about we continue tomorrow, if you still need some advice?"

He had not felt this kind of calming reassurance in a while.

"I would like that, and thank you for listening to my nonsense. I appreciate it."

"Nothing you ever say is nonsense, Renji. Do have a good night, and sleep well."

Even after he had echoed Inui's greetings and put the cordless phone back onto its cradle for a well deserved recharge, the view of his entire room from his bed only felt more daunting. The space was filled, yet not filled at the same time.

The brunette could be sure, while he had not been and never would be alone, that he had definitely been left behind.

**xXEternallyXx**

Akaya rarely ever had problems with typing out his articles nowadays. With all the experience under his sleeve, there was no wonder. It was like breathing to him. He had loved Japanese back when he was still schooling, and acing it had served him in ways he had not thought possible.

He wished it would serve him at that very moment when he needed it though.

He was staring at a blank screen, a new document. If it had been any other assignment he would have already finished up the working title and got at least half the stuff down. Unfortunately, his mind was, at that period in time, just as blank as the empty page he was staring at. Just what was stopping him from writing that article about their all-star cohort with Rikkai at the epitome? All that content was there, in his head and yet he could not write.

Kind of seemed like something his Yanagi-senpai would be good at.

The man stopped, wondering what had given him that random thought. He had not thought about the Data Master in particular for years, so what made the difference? Was it that short talk they had on their way home from the meet-up? Possibly. Akaya had never noticed how much the other had grown. Yanagi's hair was still cut in that same style, but his face was more angular, his height probably a slight bit taller, and those eyelashes longer.

Great, now he was thinking about his senior's long eyelashes. What was wrong with his brain?

Come to think of it, the ex-treasurer of the Rikkai tennis club always tutored him whenever possible. Back then, it had always been instinct for him to shoot any questions he might have had to the other, and have perfect answer key-worthy answers thrown back at him. Akaya relied on his senior so much, it was bordering on stalking. Yukimura even joked once that he was practically attached to Yanagi at the hip.

Argh, he was supposed to be doing his article, not daydream about what was past! Why was everything so nostalgic?

His study room was not big, but still a decent size. It was organized, yet messy at the same time. Hidden in the far reaches of one of his shelves were his takeaways from his time as Rikkai's sophomore ace. Gold medals, gold plates…rusty from not being polished regularly, but in good shape nonetheless. He bit his lip a little, gazing upon the Nationals picture that had Yukimura's artificial smile, and Yanagi's vacant one.

Akaya supposed he really needed help with his article this time round. It was definitely within his ability to complete it all on his own, but then it might not be at its best. The one of the Troika that he was closest to, Yanagi, would know what to do. He always knew what to do. It never once crossed the man's mind that so many years of little to no contact between them could have placed distance between what was once so close-knit.

He sent a text.

"Yanagi-senpai, when are you free?"

The reply came back in precisely 5 minutes.

"In the late afternoon for the rest of this week, though I have to train for the matches. You needed some assistance, Akaya?"

Tch. Still so annoyingly perceptive.

"Yes. The article would be way better if you had a part to play in it."

This time, it was 3 minutes. Akaya refused to discuss further about the matches. As if his daily routine was not tiring enough.

"Very well, if you do think that way. My place or yours?"

The green-eyed man had to blink, rub his eyes, blink twice, and then read the message again. Unfortunately, the contents had not changed. What was the other trying to do, use a pick-up line?

"Um. Yours then."

One minute.

"Of course. Friday, at around four."

Akaya really did miss those days when Yanagi attached something personal like a "Don't be late." Or a "Do remember." It made the one he respected seem that much more human and caring. That previous message could have been teasing him, but when it was teasing in the form of pixels on a screen and not a poke to the forehead…it just did not feel the same.

"Thanks a lot, senpai. Will see you then."

He chose to ignore that part, because it no longer mattered.

The curly-haired raven was in a trance for what seemed like a few minutes, and only snapped out of it when he suddenly remembered he should at least try to finish the starting paragraph of the article. Hm? It seemed like he had already typed something.

_**Rikkai won three consecutive Nationals championships, and it was because of sheer effort, blood and tears.**_

It sounded suitable, but it would be better for him to erase the second part of the sentence and replace it with something else.

_**They could not have done it without the famed Three Demons, namely Yukimura Seiichi, the captain, Sanada Genichirou, the vice-captain, as well as Yanagi Renji, the club treasurer and the unofficial manager who was also my mentor.**_

My mentor.

"…my mentor." He murmured. Everything about what he had just written would have reduced his superior to tears. The tone was wrong, the speech was wrong, and the sentence structure was bull. Akaya felt reluctance stir inside him as he emptied the whole page of all its contents.

_Why did you delete everything, Kirihara Akaya? It was all true._

**xXEternallyXx**

Looking up at Yanagi as said person opened the door, Akaya wondered just what had changed. It could have been a casual end-of-the-school-week-day when the raven would go over to the brunette's house, and the older would smile one of his rare smiles as he led his rambunctious junior in, knowing he was going to finish only half of his intended work at the most for the day. It would have been a day without uniforms, when both could be themselves and love life as it was. They would both be wearing casual clothes, playfully insulting each other's fashion sense.

It really did not feel different. Only, there would be no more worries that a family member of his senpai would interrupt their happiness bubble time, reminding him that it was already evening, and asking if he would like to stay for dinner. He only ever did once or twice, when there were major exams coming and Yanagi was his lifeline.

They exchanged nothing more than the usual greetings when one went over to another's house for the first time.

"Hello Yanagi-senpai…I'm sorry to bother you with something like this."

"_Hello senpai! I have this English homework that I really can't understand…you can help me with it, right?"_

"Oh hello Akaya. No, it's no trouble. I would probably have asked to add to it anyway."

"_*sighs* I would…though it might benefit you more if you tried it all first, and only asked what you completely did not understand."_

"I see. I would have done it myself, but I just could not think of what to write…"

"_*nervous chuckle* You saw right through me, Yanagi-senpai…but you would be able to do it so much better!"_

"That happens sometimes. Maybe if we both worked on it together, it will come to you."

"_Of course I would, Akaya. I'm older than you. But you have a much more vivid imagination than me, and your assignment might actually be better if you were to work on it alone."_

No more words were exchanged until both were comfortably seated in the Master's study room. Meagre sentences they had exchanged, yet so much meaning had been lost. It was all normal, far too normal. Akaya had never seen their senpai-kouhai ties as anything other than normal, but it was as if the very word had taken a whole other meaning, as he sat watching Yanagi pull out stacks of papers from nearby drawers.

Those papers were club records from that time. There were some folders that contained typical club things. Sanada probably took those to update Yukimura on the club when he was still hospitalized. There were also some other thick files. 7 exactly. The younger man flipped through them casually.

They were detailed reports on the progress and performance of the ex-regulars. One for each of them.

Some of the pages were yellowing, but everything was still legible. The statements were all handwritten by Yanagi, with the occasional inputs by the other two of the Troika. He could see the elegant script of their ex-buchou, as well as the neat scrawl of their ex-fukubuchou. The one he was reading happened to be Yagyuu's folder. The folder was slightly thinner than the rest, probably because the bespectacled senior joined only in his second year. There were random post-its and bits of paper, foolscap, slotted between all the filed papers. The folder contained things like training menus, special diets, predicted rate of progress, and all that.

Akaya knew he was getting distracted, but curiosity got the better of him. It was not as if the one sitting opposite him was stopping him anyway.

He found his very own folder. The one labeled neatly with his kanji. It was interestingly thicker than any of the other files by a considerable margin, even though his time in the tennis club could not have been any more than Niou's doubles partner. Apparently, his contained many, many notes on his progress.

"Half of those were written in regards to your Devil Mode, and that is why yours is so thick."

The green-eyed man looked up at his senior, who had not looked away from typing his document even once since his computer had booted up. Akaya took another glance at his folder, noticing all the birthday cards he had made for Yanagi stashed away in there, before closing it and placing it at the very top of the stack. His curiosity was piqued, but he forced himself to push that stack to the side.

"You…didn't remind me."

"I didn't remind you about what, Akaya?"

Would it have been too much to wish that he was a computer screen, just so his senpai would look at him while he was speaking?

"To work on the article! It's already been an hour!"

The brunette finished typing his latest sentence, and turned to face his junior.

"I saw how you were so engrossed in reading what I brought out, and did not find the need to disturb you."

If it had been him in his third year, letting his junior carry on being distracted from work would have been the last thing he would have done. Underneath the table, said junior's fists were gripping onto his jeans so tight the fabric was crumpled.

"Why did you even bring all that out? Most have got barely anything to do with writing the article."

"I thought you might have wanted to read them."

"_Why did you bring all of these, Akaya? You know we won't have time to even read half of that."_

"_But senpai…I thought you might have wanted to read them too!"_

What was happening? It should have been Yanagi telling Akaya to stop skiving off and finish off his work before he even thought of play or any distractions. It should have been Yanagi telling Akaya to focus during their rally if he truly wanted to win. It should have been Yanagi telling Akaya that he should try standing up on his own, smiling proudly, and saying that he had what it took to ace all he wanted.

Please stop it. Just stop it already.

"I…see. Thanks. I appreciate that."

Could he have told a bigger lie? Sure, some part of him may have appreciated that he had the opportunity to read what the Master would have otherwise kept hidden, but that was all. It was not something he needed. He saw no reason in thanking his senpai for something like that, especially if it posed such a distraction to the task at hand.

The rest of the night must have passed rather splendidly. Akaya did not remember much of what they did, albeit Yanagi's slightly furrowed eyebrows as he scribbled points down and turned them into perfect paragraphs. The shorter man was thankful he had his years of expertise to fall back on, as only then could he let his mind wander as he let his mouth do all the work of answering any questions his senior might have had, as well as adding his own inputs.

Every minute spent in that room, or in the vicinity of the other for that matter, felt so stifling.

The man in front of him was no longer the senpai he so cherished, the older brother he never had. He was the young, smart principal of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Chuu. He was no longer Yanagi-senpai.

He was just Yanagi Renji.

"I thank you for being focused today, Akaya. It has been a rather smooth process, although we have yet to complete writing the article."

Focused his ass. He did not even know what had been written in the document.

"Yeah. Maybe we could find some time soon to complete it."

So that was it. Was the perceptive Data Master of Rikkai no more?

The analog clock was the only indicator of how much time had gone into the article. Once again, both occupants of the house trudged silently to the door. Akaya could no longer take his pent up feelings and he whirled around, surprising the other.

"Yanagi-senpai, are you kidding me?"

The atmosphere was suddenly tense, and if anything, Yanagi seemed stunned.

"I thought I knew you. You were the senpai I respected the most. You were the one I saw as practically my third parent. What happened over the years?! Are you seriously happy with the way things are now?!"

Who the heck was the one possessing his mouth, making him say all that?

"Akaya…"

"What happened to the data you were so proud of?! You didn't even notice that I barely paid attention the whole time you were talking to me! And what about those times you told me one should not get distracted when there were things needed to be done?! You are a hypocrite!"

The brunette's eyes were wide with an unidentifiable emotion. It could have been surprise, or it could have been guilt. Akaya looked down, hair obscuring his face from view.

"He was my dearest Yanagi-senpai, whom I looked up to even more than Yukimura-buchou. Maybe it was futile hope, hoping everything could have been the same."

It was as if he was talking about a whole other person altogether, as he looked up at Yanagi, a shiny bright green meeting a chocolate brown.

"Great to see how you have even bothered entertaining me with your oh-so-brilliant façade. I want to thank you for that."

That intense stare unnerved the taller man. He had not seen one like that since a time so long ago he could barely remember it. By the time he next looked up, his junior was already at the door, his shoulders very obviously shaking as he took one last backward glance.

"I hate you, Yanagi_-san_."

The sarcasm that dripped steadily from that mere statement was acid. It was corrosive, leaving an unpleasant burning sensation. Yanagi was not one for crying, and he rarely ever did. Yet how could he possibly explain that wet patch on his pillow that never seemed to dry?

Kirihara Akaya could not keep his thoughts from going back to his senpai, and how hurt he looked when he was having his outburst. He wanted to go and hug his brunette senior, and tell him he meant none of that. He wanted to believe that nothing like that happened and that they actually parted with happy thoughts.

He was hurt. Yanagi had hurt him. He had let go of his hand, and went on without him.

A scene like that would have been the norm when both were still students. Akaya would get mad because of something small and stomp out of the house, proclaiming loudly just how much he hated the other. Yet they would definitely make up the next day, via a phone call or a heart to heart talk. Those were the days when the raven knew that he could not stay angry at his beloved senior forever, and the brunette knew he could always forgive his closest junior.

That would have been the way things went, 11 years back. Too bad, it was 11 years into the future from that time, and things had already changed too much.

It was like gold dust thrown to the wind.

* * *

***hides behind Chitose-senpai*…would it be too much if I ask you guys not to kill me again?**

**I see Yanagi as someone who wants to feel needed in his team, seeing as how he always seems to blend into the background all the time, even with tennis skills of that calibre.**

**Anyways…should I continue on with the love drama from the previous chap or should I just spam Alpha for the time being? Tell me what you think?**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**

**Posted: 21/05/2012 (dd/mm/yyyy)**


	13. Never looking back

"**Well well," you readers say, "look who finally decided to come out of hiding and actually finish this horrible piece of half-written work after her Prelims!"**

**Hontou, Hontou ni gomenasai! T.T **

**Just about everything in the education system hates me, and hence I have been busy trying to survive the unofficial Amazing Race called SCHOOL. I seriously deserve a medal.**

**Anyway, back to the story. It's been half-written and gathering dust on my com for a while, and I only got round to finishing it (no thanks to Yanagi Hanabusa…wait, wai-PUT THAT HAMMER DOWN! D8) today…right *ish squashed by ze hammer***

**Disclaimer: OMG stop looking at me like I'm a pervert. This jersey is part of my cosplay, MY cosplay!**

**Warning(s): Bittersweet mood, bittersweet plot, generally all things bitter sweet, neoprints, and ducks. Yep you heard me. Ducks. Slight OOCness if you see it that way, and add more if you deem fit.**

**I ALSO DON'T OWN THAT AWESOME PIC UP THERE! ITS FROM ZEROCHAN!**

Marui pulled his hand out from under Niou's, and placed it on his lap. This was a mistake. All of it, no doubt. If this carried on any longer, things were bound to go wrong.

"Come with me."

The smaller hand gripped onto his with unexpected strength, as the redhead felt himself being pulled (dragged?) outside the parlour. The silverette only let go of his hand when they were both some distance away, under the shade of some nearby trees. Marui sighed.

"You know what? Just…forget everything I said. This is obviously a mistake."

Indeed, he had revealed what she was never supposed to know, or find out for that matter.

"And what if I told you I don't want to forget?"

Those pretty greens peepers. They were challenging, and the redhead could not identify any emotion under that almost steely defense. His own eyes fell, and he did not reply. Niou caressed the other's cheek as she tilted his head to face her.

"You asked me out today for an answer. Ask me that question, right here and right now. Do it clearly, so there is no way I can deny it later."

She had seen right through him. Niou's perception was one to be admired, and it was one of the reasons Marui even fell for her in the first place. He inhaled, looking her in the eye.

"Will you go out with me, Niou Masaharu, as my girlfriend?"

The tension lightened considerably. The silverette nodded in contemplation as she laced her hand with his, smiling up at him.

"That question…will have an answer when we are through with our date today."

Our date? The redhead felt like some kind of teenage girl who had finally gotten a date with her long-time crush. That was not altogether completely wrong, though the image of himself in a cute dress was far from right. He could only nod numbly as he tightened his hold on his companion's hand instead, enjoying that moment of surprise flashing across her eyes, and the tiny pink tint dusting her beautifully contoured cheeks.

"Let's go then…Masaharu."

Maru bit the inside of his cheek. Had he gone too far calling her that?

"Of course…Bunta."

Guess not.

The ex-tensai (that was self-proclaimed and Jirou-proclaimed…right?) had a very typical bishounen schoolboy personality. It was almost as if he could be friends with anyone on the planet (except for maybe his jealous boy classmates), and that made him the biggest receiver of Valentine's Day chocolates just after Yukimura. Blessed with good (definitely much more than that) looks and a naturally wonderful charisma, it was no wonder he one day took his turn in placing down his racket, moving into the world of entertainment.

Sure, he had found some way to manage his stalkers and paparazzi (he refused to tell how), but there was no stopping eyes from turning his way as he strutted down the sidewalk with someone equally good-looking (Hanako had Cs, dammit!). The pair walking side by side in blissful ignorance of the people around them looked like angels descended from heaven. It was almost a sin being able to look so good in normal clothes.

It was cliché, but as Marui locked fingers with the one he was positively in love with, he felt that he could not see anyone but her by his side. Was this what they meant when they said being with the one you loved made you ignore the world around you? Was this what it was really like, being in love?

When eyes seemed to stare at you from all directions, it was normal to feel awkward. Niou could only try to look completely at ease as she gripped the other's hand harder than intended. Had it been right to have agreed on this date with him? Had it been right to give him hope?

"Have any place in mind?"

The silverette looked up thoughtfully.

"Neoprints?"

It was a place they had definitely been to once. Maybe it was during that time the team (ah, the good old days) had gone on a rare outing together and all the members were present. Colourfully dressed machines littered the general area, looking imposing in spite of the decoration. Marui fought to not blanch at the numerous heavily made-up (and absolutely ugly) girls that adorned the hanging posters. The girl at the counter only spared a bored glance at them, rolling her eyes at the sight of yet another couple waltzing through, looking as if she would rather be anywhere but there. The green-coloured bubblegum she kept popping brought back memories, however.

The redheaded male took a moment to wonder about the last time he had chewed any of that green apple-flavoured gum, sighing when he had no clear memory.

Niou was all but eager as she practically dragged him into one of the machines, cooing a little at the many, many options on that tablet-sized screen. Marui should have been the one paying, but his date's insistence had won out, and he just sat watching as she proceeded to finger-abuse the poor screen excitedly.

His thoughts were interrupted when something- or rather, someone, settled beside him, pulling him to sit closer.

"10 seconds" was the only warning he got from her.

Posing was a total breeze. It was like breathing, and Marui found his thoughts once again running wild as he realized the proximity of their bodies. He willed himself not to screw up this rare chance. Niou looked like she was having fun, so he should too. Even though those butterflies in his stomach might as well have taken over his whole body instead.

The built-in camera was efficient, alternating between close-ups and normal shots. It seemed sad that the empty boxes on the screen were filling up fast. Soon, that tiny too-high-pitched-and-cutesy-sounding-to-be-real-voice would ask them to select their best shots, before sending said shots to the decorating booth built into the opposite side of the huge machine.

At the least, that was what one redhead thought until that voice called out that the last shot would be a close-up.

5 seconds left…4…3…

Marui found himself being yanked forward by his shirt, and was still facing the screen as Niou planted a kiss upon his cheek. He froze, just in time for the camera to capture the perfectly planned moment. Even after the woman had pulled away, he remained still and blinking.

"…eh?"

It was not until he heard Niou calling out his name that he realized the other already had the digital pen in hand, annoyed that he had been spacing out while they were supposed to be decorating the pictures together. The redhead observed that his date had already chosen the photos and decorated half of them. The woman shook her head.

"At this rate, I'll be the one doing them all. How about you try one?"

And that was how one Marui Bunta found himself standing in front of the monitor, digital pen in hand, staring dumbly at the screen, looking every bit the idiot that he possibly was. It was all the silverette could do not to squawk in exasperation when he very nearly terminated all their decorations so far. Niou sighed and slid behind him, holding up his hand from behind and guiding it across the screen, all the while giving a spoken tutorial on how to "glam up" those shots.

He could feel her breath on his neck.

He could smell her mildly scented perfume.

Thankfully, he was spared from the close proximity after he had proven that his skill at decorating neoprints was at least decent. The redhead smiled in amusement at the calculating look the other was using to sweep over the mini piece of paper. Niou nodded.

"Not as nice as mine, but good enough."

Ah, same old Niou. Never willing to give all out praise and always finding something that could be improved on. Her analytical views drove the team nuts sometimes, but few could rebuke as they were almost always right. Yanagi even said that if she were not so "lazy" (as he so kindly put it), she would have been the Data Master instead of him. Of course, at that point in time the silverette would probably not follow his example of chanting out weird numbers and percentages, but no one told him that.

"Flush like that some more and I'll really wonder who's supposed to be the girl here."

Marui raised a hand to his cheek. It was hot. Oh why oh why did his face have to be so honest?

"Blame yourself for being so irresistible."

"Ha ha, very funny, Genius. But that pick-up line is seriously overrated."

"But a beauty like you could only be an angel that fell from the heavens above."

"…trying to challenge me now, are you?"

"…and even among the angels, your perfection is beyond compare…"

"B-Bunta!"

Her angry, blushing face was so adorable. Had anyone other than Yagyuu and him seen it? It made her tantrum look childish and cute. Maybe having an honest face was not so bad if it allowed him to see her like this. The man ruffled her hair, enjoying his height advantage over his date and her annoyance at her now slightly messed up hair.

**xXEternallyXx**

Many people would have killed for a date with Marui Bunta, the genius volleyer of Rikkai Dai.

Even more people, would have killed for a date with Marui Bunta, the hottest male model in the industry.

All this time.

All this time, Marui had only been thinking of her and no one else. He might have had a few short flings here and there, but his heart never left her. Yet, her heart had never been with him, never even looked his way. It was bad enough that one's obliviousness could hurt oneself. It was even worse if that obliviousness hurt someone else, however unintentional it might have been.

Why was she so cruel? Why did she not see?

Niou may have had a foresight to be feared, tactics that knew no bounds. How much of that could she be proud of if even then, she did not notice such a strong emotion emanating from him? It was all her fault that things became this way. It was all her fault he was running after her like a lost puppy with a bone dangling in front of him. Sincerity was all that filled his large, round eyes, along with hope, and that blanket of love.

Was there any way she was going to be able to reject him, after the day was out?

Idle strolling was their current activity, which unfortunately left thoughtful minds to their own devices. It pained the silverette to see how each time their eyes met, the redhead would flash that endearing smile only meant for her. If only she could go back in time to correct her mistake. If only things could have gone as they should.

…even after saying that, what was this supposed future?

Someplace where she and Marui were happily dating, even as a boy?

Someplace where she had never met the tennis team, living out a life with a whole other group of people?

There was no way Niou could imagine life without her ex-teammates after all they had been through. There was an absolute zero chance for her to forget Yagyuu. Even if one day a kappa wearing a strawberry suit holding a strawberry wand drinking strawberry milk appeared in front of her and allowed her to go back in time to experience an alternate future, could she bear to take that chance? Every single action, every single decision leads to a different future. This is the future that she had chosen.

This is the future that bound her tight.

The two had long left the centre after taking neoprints, having walked into a park many loved to frequent. The woman could almost see a young Yukimura-buchou with his jacket on his shoulders, smiling with both sadism and pride as his regulars carried each other on their backs, running along the path beside the pond in full view of the public. Yagyuu's back had been warm, but Marui's grip around her neck had given her comfort, shown her his trust.

The redhead in question had bought ice-cream, jolting her out of her memories with the soft, chilly dessert against her lips. Chocolate was not exactly her favourite flavor, but he did not need to know that.

Her gentle smile while licking her cone slowly made for a beautiful scene. But he knew she was actually deep in thought about something.

What was she thinking about? Could she possibly be thinking about how horrible their date was?

Well…technically, it was not much of a date. They merely met at the parlour, went to take some neoprints, walked about aimlessly, before ending up on a park bench, licking their ice-cream cones. Actually, Marui had wanted to share (you know, like couples always did), but it would have looked really stingy on his part to buy merely one cone, so he ended up getting two instead.

"Hey look!"

And he thus got slapped by a silver fish.

Oh wait, that was just Niou's ponytail. Figures. She had apparently seen something interesting and whipped her head around so fast the poor guy sitting beside her was knocked off the chair, and had some ice-cream splashed on his cheek.

"Ne, Bunt-um, what are you doing on the ground?"

"Giving my affection."

"Riiiight…."

The redhead just grinned sheepishly and got up, dusting his clothes off. He looked to the pond where the object of the silverette's attention apparently was.

"Bunta, look! Aren't those just so…"

If he had been his middle school self, his jaw would have dropped at least a kilometer into the ground. Or maybe even more than 3 kilometres, and then have his poor jaw burnt by the piping hot magma. Yeah, that sounded like what would have happened.

But now he was grown up, and he simply stoned.

Ducks.

He got whacked onto the floor, had ice-cream spilt on his pretty cheeks, and then had Niou see him in such an embarrassing state, all just for…DUCKS?!

Must calm down, Marui…must calm down…you must not get angry when on a date, must not get angry…

"…and look at the ducklings!"

Ok that does it. Those damn ducks were gonna get it.

At least, that was what he thought before he looked at his date picking up a duckling that had trouble swimming and cuddling it like it was a soft toy. All thoughts of roast duck and roast ducklings fled from his mind as he walked over to join her in admiring it, while the mother duck and its siblings were swimming away (what kind of a mother duck forgets her own ducklings?!). It quacked cutely and fluffed up its feathers before trying to get away from Niou's stroking and back to the pond.

Marui frowned as she continued holding onto the poor animal.

"…you should let it go…"

"But I don't wanna! I want to keep it…"

That had to be the most irresistible pouting face a woman in her twenties could make without looking childish or spoilt. Congrats, one silverette had just done what had been deemed impossible by the great Marui-sama.

He sighed.

"…can't you see it wants to go back? It doesn't belong with you."

At this, she looked thoughtful.

"I guess…but I still don't want to let it go!"

His fuse was getting shorter by the second as the poor animal quacked in panic, being held by hands that were using much more strength than they should.

"J-Just let go! T-There are always better pets suited to you out there!"

There was a splash, and Marui blinked as the little one swam quickly away to join up with the rest of its family. He almost sighed in relief. Who knew Niou could be such a child?

"That's my answer, Bunta."

**xXEternallyXx**

Once more, those lilac orbs blinked, this time in much more confusion.

The woman smiled as she got up, moving towards him. At that moment, she was so…neutral. So unreadable, so far away. The children were running around as usual, but the redhead did not hear them at all. Sea-green eyes looked at the ripples being made in the water by some wind, before looking back at him.

"Remember what you asked me at the start of today?

"_Will you go out with me, Niou Masaharu, as my girlfriend?"_

That's right. He did ask her that.

"I don't…"

"I'm sorry Bunta…Marui. I cannot go out with you. As a friend yes, but not as your girlfriend."

What had the whole day been for then? Was it all just a game? Marui had his hopes up so high, and hearing this just sent them crashing down right away. She had hurt him before, but that was because she did not know. Now that she did, why was she so cruel as to lead him around? Could Niou not have just stated her disinterest and saved all this trouble?

From where she was standing, the silverette could see the myriad of emotions passing through the other's eyes.

"I…had my own feelings I needed to settle, and it is only right I finish what I started."

"Meaning?"

His answer came in the form of a certain person lunging forward to pull him down by the shirt collar, crashing her lip gloss-covered lips against his. Immediately, his face went red as his arms instinctively held onto the small body, hugging it tight. They finally detached after a while, as the initiator slid a hand down her date's face.

"Treasure that kiss. It's the first and last one I will ever give you."

"…I will."

Niou tilted her head as the redhead slumped down dejectedly.

"Besides, you weren't ready either. Have you called me by my given name more than once today?"

It occurred to him then. He only said that name once.

"True."

"That aside, I didn't bring you about the whole day with the sole purpose of rejecting you."

"That's expected…I suppose."

"Of course. I just realised today how we always forget to look at those close to us. It's the very reason we are even out on this date today, isn't it?"

"Yes, ignorance is hurtful."

"You know Marui, you should open your eyes a little bigger, and try to see what you have been missing all this time."

"Are you trying to give me a hint to your answer?"

She chuckled.

"You said from your own mouth what I wanted to say to you."

"I did?"

The man tried to think back to figure out what he had said that could have been her answer to him, but came up with nothing. He was a genius indeed. Answering a question that was her reply to his question and then saying out her answer before forgetting what the answer was.

"I guess I should leave."

"Eh?"

Niou took out her share of the neoprints, scrutinizing them.

"Mine are believable. Are yours too?"

Hurriedly taking his own out, he zeroed in on the one of her kissing him, which just "happened" to be the biggest one among the lot. Not to mention he did not even know what the silverette meant by them being "believable".

" Marui!"

Said guy turned around to face his manager, who had apparently been running around looking for him.

"Jackal?"

"Where have you been?! You have a photoshoot in an hour and you go gallivanting off like that!"

At this Marui frowned.

"But didn't I…"

_FLASHBACK_

"…_speaking of which, I think I need to call Jackal to inform him…"_

"_Let me."_

_There was no time for Marui to reply before hearing Niou go "Moshi Moshi?". How the heck did she even manage to get his phone from him, figure out his number code, and find Jackal's number that fast?!_

"_Yes…yes…right. He'll be free right? Ok thanks."_

_The silverette smiled brightly- a little too brightly, as she handed him his phone back._

"_Ok we're good!"_

_END_

Would there happen to be any walls nearby? He needed to bang his head on one real bad.

"I see…I'm sorry."

"You better be. You had me so worried…"

"But I wasn't alone, I was with N-"

He had been standing too close to the pond, and a small rock in the right place was more than enough to send him falling over backwards when he turned around. The redhead prepared for the impact, but none came, instead he was being held by Jackal, their faces mere inches apart. There was a hint of a blush on his face as he pulled his charge back to safety, turning away and coughing to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

"_You know Marui, you should open your eyes a little bigger, and try to see what you have been missing all this time."_

No way…

Did Jackal actually like…him?

"…_I just realised today how we always forget to look at those close to us…"_

"…rui? Marui!"

Marui smiled.

"Bunta."

"Eh?"

"My given name is Bunta. So use it."

The model watched amusedly as his Brazilian friend looked like he was having an internal conflict before nodding awkwardly. His smile was even bigger now that he had finally remembered what Niou was trying to tell him in the first place.

"…_There are always better pets suited to you out there…"_

Though in this case, it was probably people and not pets she was talking about.

Marui took out the photos that had been stuffed into his pocket in a hurry just now, scanning over them, over the one that had him being pecked on his cheek unsuspectingly. There was no doubt where this one was supposed to be pasted. It should be pasted in his wallet, in that compartment only he knew existed.

"Jackal, do you think you could wait for me over there? I need to do something first."

"Sure…Bunta."

When his manager was some distance away, he chose the penknife extension of his swiss army knife, carefully cutting said picture out, staring at it some more. Really, Niou could not have given him a better present.

Jackal started walking as soon as he heard Marui jogging up to him.

"So…what were you doing back there?"

"Oh nothing…"

The redhead looked behind him before looking forward again.

"…just something I should have done a long time ago."

In a certain dustbin at a certain park, a lone piece of paper bearing the faces of two people lay, representing a memory left behind and a mission accomplished.

**xXEternallyXx**

Alternate Ending:

"So…what were you doing back there?"

"Oh nothing…"

The redhead looked behind him before looking forward again, a little puzzled.

Come to think of it…where did Niou go?

**For those of you who actually thought I would break the Platinum Pair up…you haven't a lot of confidence in me, do you? I knew it…*cries in a corner* **

**So, I decided to continue with the love drama *is shot for only mentioning it at the end of the chap*. I might, MIGHT write Alpha for the next one, but there is no gurantee.**

**The alternate ending was random. Niou would make a pretty good ninja, in my opinion.**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD**

**Thank you very much for reading, will update soon.**

**Posted: 14/09/2012 (dd/mm/yyyy)**


	14. First, you have to accept

**My exams may have ended nearly a month ago, but it still took me this long to come up with a shorter than the norm chapter. I'm a pathetic excuse of an author T.T**

**On a side note, I think Niou's pranks are getting way out of hand, but its too fun for me to stop now *is shot***

**Disclaimer: …can we get back to this after my earlobes stop hurting?**

**Warning(s): Boys love, Niou's pranks, fluff, slight OOCness if you see it that way, and add more if you deem fit.**

* * *

That had to be one of the most excruciating and hurtful things she had ever done. It hurt her just as much as it hurt him.

Yagyuu was standing at the entrance when Niou returned home.

The two held gazes for a long moment, until the woman broke it as she smirked. The silverette walked until she was right in front of him, before giving him a hard flick on the forehead.

"Baka."

It was not until the other closed and locked her bedroom door that the Gentleman snapped out of his daze. A hand went to that still-sore spot on his forehead as he smiled. That flick earlier may have hurt, but at least it assured him of something.

Niou Masaharu was willing to wait for him, for as long as needed.

_-/hanako/-_

"_Well well, seems like I did underestimate you."_

_Niou flicked yet another pebble, watching as it sailed even further than Hanako's had._

"_Of course."_

_His companion pulled her knees up to her chest._

"…_that being said, I'm happy for you. You've finally closed a chapter of your very vibrant life."_

"_It was the least I could do. At least now he has someone to care for him too."_

_Hanako's hand paused in mid-throw._

"_Really? Why 'care' and not 'love'?"_

"_It's just a speculation. How their relationship develops is not within my control, but at least I helped kick-start it."_

_The silverette man suddenly sputtered, trying to wipe off the pondwater that had suddenly found its way onto his face. The culprit only laughed._

"_Quite a lot of confidence you have there. How can you be sure this is not going to hurt him more?"_

_Niou's face was expressionless as he stared at her._

"_No, I'm not sure. But it's worth a try."_

**xXEternallyXx**

It was awkward having to walk together after what happened. Marui could not bring himself to look into Jackal's eyes and vice-versa. All it took was one moment, one small flash of the nakedness of their feelings. Someone must be enjoying all this, and the redhead could bet that it was not Hanako or Niou.

The photoshoot had gone relatively smoothly. There was no need for repeats and the clothes were simple enough to wear. The make-up was a bit of a hassle (look, it was not his fault the make-up artist forgot to take into account his utterly fair skintone), but it was bearable. After all, Marui Bunta was a tensai, and there was nothing he could not do.

Well, while that may have been an overstatement, there was no doubt about this redhead's skill in modeling. He was a natural at drawing the spotlight onto himself. Yukimura may have been the most popular boy of their year, but no one could deny that Marui won the "most attention gained" trophy hands down. Even if they wanted to, no one could shy away from that bright pinkish-red hair and charismatic gentlemanly personality.

It was purely Yagyuu's idea for the entire regular team to attend those etiquette classes, Jackal swore. Apparently, something about the way Sanada (TARUNDORU! We are way too young to date!) and Akaya (Why would I date an ugly girl like you?!) rejected confessions seemed to get his goat. Yukimura was all for signing up for these lessons (and no, he was not mad when the teacher thought he was a girl, REALLY), though by the end of each it seemed tennis practice got thrice as brutal. It was to match up to their 'three consecutive championships', the captain said. But in all honesty, Jackal thought he was just pissed about getting mistaken for a girl while IN his TENNIS uniform.

…the Brazilian would go into details, but this story is one for another day.

Bottom line was, one could not help but love Marui Bunta. He was proud, but he had the skills to back it up. He flirted, but only for the fun of it and never to break up couples. Come to think of it, never once had he flirted with a 'taken' girl before.

Unfortunately, being tennis partners with the self-proclaimed tensai had pulled Kuwahara Jackal into the attraction loop too- and it felt wrong.

For one thing, he was the same gender as Marui. Boys (or men) just did not look at or feel for each other that way. For another, the ex-volleyist was way out of his league. How could someone who had to endure racist comments every other day hope to compare to someone adored by practically the entire school? That was the reason the half-Brazilian blended into the background. It was fine that he was always the forgotten member. It was fine that no one ever noticed.

Therefore, he should not be surprised when Marui shoved him against the wall when they were the only ones left in the studio, showing a glare that intimidated anyone far more than his shorter stature would.

"Dammit, Jackal! You think this is fun?"

"I think what is fun?"

Somehow, the taller one had a sinking feeling the other was not going to buy that. They were thinking on the same wavelength after all. Beating around the bush was not going to help things.

Sanada Genichirou's infamous (at least, during their school days) slap hurt A LOT. None in the Rikkai tennis club did not feel that slight shudder down their spine when threatened with it. Ok, so no one knew of Yukimura and Yanagi, but they were on another plane of existence anyway. However, only the regulars knew who caused the harshest and most painful slaps and backhands of all.

It felt as if a few dozen bees had tried competing to sting a single target on his now bruising face.

Marui sighed as he put down his left (what the heck?! – Jackal) hand and ran his right one through his messy curls. The situation was completely pathetic. He was pathetic. So this was what they called karma. Most people would ask the high heavens or whichever god they worshipped what they did to deserve this…but the model could only think of too many things he had done to warrant such a turn of events.

"I guess…I know how Niou felt."

"…I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

Slim but still muscular arms snaked their way around one tanned manager's waist as Marui buried his face into the other's chest. It felt nice, having someone to hug.

"_I should be the one saying sorry instead…"_

**xXEternallyXx**

"…Principal Yanagi. I apologize for disturbing you, but…"

'Must. Not. Laugh.' Yanagi told himself. 'Must. Resist. The. Temptation.'

Well there was actually no need for him to worry. After all, there was nothing funny about the sight in front of him. It was simply Riko Kiyami standing at the door with grotesque mix of make-up all over her face and a mixture of cereal and yellow nacho cheese dribbling all over her equally yellow dress with…a toy rattle super-glued to her left hand. At the least, what had been super-glued to her right hand was the red pen, and it was probably so that the teacher would have no excuse to ditch work.

Truth to be told, he must have broken a few ribs trying to resist hurting the other's feelings.

"I see you have gotten yourself into some…*cough*trouble, Riko-sensei. Would said trouble happen to be caused by one of our students?"

Both her hands clenched. One around the rattle, one around the pen. And did anyone mention that the rattle made weird animal sounds when clenched tightly?

"That…is what I came to talk about actually. The perpetrator is neither of our lovely students but instead a Hanako Masahira-sensei from the Mathematics Department."

Yanagi could sense the venom laced into every syllable of Niou's pseudo name, oh yes he could.

"So what you're trying to tell me, Riko-sensei, is that the one who did…this (MustNotLaughMustNotLaugh) is none other than Hanako-sensei?"

"Yes."

Thus, the brunette man sighed with exaggerated exasperation, almost drowning in the nostalgia of how it was when Niou's pranks went overboard. Too many times had he walked by the staff room only to see a teacher or teachers who had caused any tennis regular trouble looking like they dumped everything from their kid's last birthday party into a tub and then swam around in it. Now that he was in the shoes of the Principal, he felt a little (ok, maybe a lot) guilty at how much the previous guy must have suffered having to handle complaints like this all day.

And Yanagi sighed again.

"I believe this is something you should settle in a heart to heart talk with Hanako-sensei herself. From what I know, she is a very understanding person."

For the sake of Niou and Yagyuu's relationship, he must not let Riko know he is lying about the last part.

"B-But-"

"Now now, Riko-sensei. We are all responsible and _mature_ adults. I doubt this incident is something you can't solve with some understanding on both party's sides."

There was nothing wrong with the advice, really. But the way the principal looked as if he was reprimanding an errant elementary student instead of giving advice to a subordinate of nearly the same age…it was downright humiliating. There was also something off about the way he said the word "mature".

"I-I understand. I will try to sort this out to the best of my ability for the sake of my own sanity as well as that of the reputation of our Department."

He nodded.

"I hope that can be done as soon as possible. If the problem gets worse, do not hesitate to let me know."

It was exactly twenty seconds (the amount of time needed for a teacher to round the corner on his/her way to the staffroom - Yanagi) after Riko-sensei left the room that Yanagi Renji could not take it anymore and started chuckling as discretely as possible (not that any chuckling could be called discrete). Niou had really outdone herself this time, and knowing the Trickster, there were only more ridiculous pranks up her sleeve. It was also mysterious how the number of student pranksters in Rikkai had significantly lowered (aka the number of those sent to his office on a weekly basis) in lieu of all this tricks on the new trainee. A certain silverette had apparently been thanking him by relieving him of extra workload by outclassing any budding prankster with her experienced plans and putting them into their place.

He was going to have to thank her for that later, and maybe try not to find out how she managed it. He wants to keep what is left of his logic and common sense, thank you very much.

"Oh Riko Kiyami-san…there is more than your sanity at stake here," the brunet principal mused.

"…the very fact that you still have your sanity intact is proof that the greatest prankster in Rikkai Dai history is preparing you for something _much_ worse."

One Hanako Masahira sneezed while coming up with questions for the advanced class. It caused the papers in front of her to fly all over her table.

"Hanako-sensei? Are you alright?"

The teacher blinked as she started gathering her papers.

"I'm fine, Shiharu. Probably just someone talking about me again."

* * *

**OMAKE:**

Yukimura watched as the other regulars lined up in front of him at the private tennis court he had just booked.

"So, how has all of your training been coming along?"

"Very well." - Sanada

"…well…you see…" - Akaya

"Um, work has been getting busier lately…" – Marui and Jackal

"There were preparations for the Ocean Festival I could not ignore…" – Yanagi

"…Riko Kiyami." – Niou

"…Riko Kiyami." - Yagyuu

The bluenet felt a tick mark festering at the back of his head in response to the sheepish looks nearly all of them (sans Sanada of course) had on. Could they not see the importance of following the training menu that Yanagi had circulated since nearly a month ago? And why was Yanagi himself looking so sheepish too?!

"You all…"

The wind conveniently blew at that moment, making Yukimura's jacket sway in that awesome 'Kami no Ko' manner.

"…shall DIE."

_-/hanako/-_

"…"

_Hanako watched the heap on the floor._

"…"

_The heap stirred._

"…_Masaharu?"_

_Was he still alive?_

"_...yeah?"_

"_Remind me never to cross your ex-captain."_

_Niou finally found the strength to lie down like a proper person._

"...o_f course."_

* * *

**So, I was thinking of writing a oneshot featuring them during their etiquette lessons. I can already see their instructor questioning his sanity. Should I write it?**

**And if I do write it, should I feature the GoM from Kuroko no Basuke in it too?**

**Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!**

**Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs!**

**Posted: 13/12/2012 (dd/mm/yyyy)**

_**Darn, I missed the last consecutive date of the century…**_


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